Camden Co. ties to Underground Railroad

CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. - February 3, 2012 (WPVI) -- Officials in Camden County are using new technology to share the rich history of African American Heritage and the Underground Railroad.

They have created a podcast tour of important historical sites in the county, and it comes just in time for the start of Black History Month.

There are five historic places in Camden County, all with ties to the Underground Railroad.

The hope is the podcasts will help bring about a whole new awareness of Black History, and how it relates to American History.

The first podcast takes you on a tour of Camden's Macedonia AME Church, whose members were conductors on the Underground Railroad.

"They are down-loadable podcasts that you can take with you if you decide you want to visit one of the sites," explained Muneerah Higgs.

The second podcast describes one of Camden's "best kept secrets", the Peter Mott House in Lawnside, New Jersey.

"Lawnside was also a stop on the Underground Railroad, a secret network of places for escaping slaves to hideout as they sought freedom from bondage in the south."

"It is a new way of getting in touch with younger people," said Raymond L. Fussell.

Raymond Fussell has a personal connection to the Mott House. His grandparents lived there, and Raymond visited as a boy in 1932.

The podcasts also travel through Mount Peace, a final resting place for former slaves, when no other cemetery would take them.

"You think about slavery as a dark time of our national history, but it also yields the opportunity to learn from things that weren't positive, and how we can continue to work to strive to be more tolerant and accept people just how they are," said Camden County Freeholder Scot McCray.

The final podcasts tour Haddonfield's historic district where Quakers were involved in the Underground Railroad, and Croft Farm in Saddlertown.

"It really speaks volumes and highlights those attributes of just courageous people," said McCray.

Link:
http://www.pathwaystofreedomtour.com/

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camden county, new jersey, local/state, lisa thomas-laury

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