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SOUTH JERSEY HISTORY: Underground Railroad Panel to Uncloak Myths and Mysteries

 

LAWNSIDE, NJ (Sept. 26, 2024)—Four regional experts will delve into the Underground Railroad nationally and in South Jersey at a free workshop Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Vogelson Branch of the Camden County Public Library, 203 Laurel Road, Voorhees.  The Lawnside Historical Society is offering the event both in-person and via Zoom.  To complete the required registration, go to petermotthouse.org/upcoming-events/.

The panelists are Guy Weston, Paul Schopp, Jacqueline Wiggins and Shamele Jordon. The panel will look at the African origins of the enslaved in America, debunk myths about the Underground Railroad and share resources for those who want to read on their own. Screenshot 2024-09-27 at 17.08.42

Mr. Weston, managing director of the Timbuctoo Historical Society, specializes in African American genealogy, history, and historic preservation. His history and genealogy work focuses on antebellum free Black communities in New Jersey, particularly Timbuctoo in Burlington County, where his family is rooted. He is director of publications for the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, editing the AAHGS Journal.

Mr. Schopp’s specializations include transportation history and Black history in South Jersey. He is well versed in African American settlements throughout the lower eight counties and the Underground Railroad in South Jersey. He has prepared nine National Register of Historic Places nominations, including four directly involving Black history. Mr. Schopp served as the executive director of the Camden County Historical Society and now works as assistant director of the South Jersey Culture & History Center at Stockton University.

Ms. Wiggins is an educator, administrator and activist in Philadelphia, who was the site administrator for the Johnson House, an 18th century Underground Railroad safehouse in Germantown. She created a UGRR camp in 2001 , which has been presented and replicated for decades in Pennsylvania. Ms. Wiggins was associate director of the predecessor to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, served on the historic marker committee of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as well in numerous other posts. She holds a degree in secondary education from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s in education administration from the University of Massachusetts.

Ms. Jordon is a genealogist, historian and researcher, who is pursuing several projects with the historical society including the grant Along Freedom’s Journey, which is designed to provide training, scripting and protocols for tour guides and enhance the visitor experience at the Peter Mott House Underground Railroad Museum. She is also coordinating a project on the Green Book in Lawnside and Berlin. Both are funded by the New Jersey Historical Commission.

The Society is offering this hybrid meeting for the first time to give guests the option to convene in person while offering others a way to attend virtually.

Please direct questions to the Society at 856-546-8850 or send email to [email protected].

This event is part of Camden County History Month activities hosted by members of the 52-member Camden County History Alliance during the month of October. Find more details here: https://cchsnj.org/history-month/

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The Lawnside Historical Society, Inc., is a qualified organization of the New Jersey Cultural Trust. It is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission at Camden County College, the officially designated county history agency of the New Jersey Historical Commission. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization that promotes the history of Lawnside and maintains the Peter Mott House Underground Railroad Museum at 26 Kings Court.

 

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