[The following is from a very informal mailing I send out occasionally on topics of interest on the Underground Railroad, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. Chris Densmore]

URR NEWS: NPS NETWORK TO FREEDOM NEWSLETTER; UNDERGROUND RAILROAD RELATED CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS IN WILKES-BARRE, DOYLESTOWN AND PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, OCTOBER 2004.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NETWORK TO FREEDOM NEWLETTER
From: Diane_Miller@nps.gov

The newest edition of the National Park Service's National Underground
Railroad Network to Freedom Program newsletter is now available. You may access it from the Network to Freedom website at:

http://209.10.16.21/TEMPLATE/FrontEnd/program_d.cfm

If you have articles that you would like to submit for future newsletters,
please contact me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diane Miller, National Coordinator, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

National Park Service, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68102

402-661-1588, 402-661-1982 fax
www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr

NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA CONFERENCE ON URR, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2004
October 15 - Northeastern Pennsylvania Annual conference, “Among the Mountains: Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad." James and Lois Horton Keynote speakers. $35 fee. There will also be a dedication of an historical marker on Saturday. For information contact the library at the Luzerne County Historical Society, 49 Franklin Street, Wilkes- Barre, PA 18701, 570-823-6244, ext. 2

BUCKS COUNTY (PA) CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN AMERIANS, OCTOBER 17, 2004
.
African Americans in Bucks County: Early Experiences, Sunday, October 17, 2004, 1-4 p.m., Mercer Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Glimpse into the lives of 18th and 19th-century African Americans in Bucks County, both slave and free, in this Spruance Library workshop. Examine primary documents, follow the path of a local teacher who documented the experiences of slaves at the Warminster home of William Tennent to develop lessons for students in the Centennial school district. Fee is $15. Teachers earn 3 hours of Act 48 credit by paying an additional $15 fee. To register, call (215) 345-0210, ext. 123.

PHILADELPHIA (PA): CONFERENCE AT INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL PARK, OCTOBER 30, 2004

From: Tamara Miller
Slavery, Precedents, and Presidents in the 1790s: A Public Gathering at Independence National Historical Park, Saturday, October 30, 2004.
12:30 - 3:30 PM, at the Independence Visitor Center, Sixth and Market
Streets, Philadelphia

Presented by Independence Historical National Park with its partners the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Ad-Hoc Historians, ATAC, and other
interested community groups.

This symposium will feature a panel of nationally recognized scholars, the National Park Service, community groups, and other stakeholders interested and invested in developing and designing new interpretation at the President's House site. This location, at Sixth and Market Streets, is
where George Washington and John Adams lived and conducted their presidencies in the 1790s. Washington brought some of his slaves to this site and they lived and worked with other members of his household during the years that our first president was guiding the development of the model of modern, republican government. The rediscovery of this information is especially significant in light of the contemporary trend towards constructing a more accessible, inclusive description of our past. Members of the panel will explore the complexities and contradictions inherent in interpreting this historic site. We will discuss our hopes for a fitting commemoration of the enslaved Africans who lived at the house, one that will contribute to the growing international network of historic sites that present race and slavery. We will also discuss ways of interpreting the Executive Branch during its Philadelphia years. This symposium is designed for audience participation and is free and open to the public. The day will include a tour and an open forum on the best ways to interpret and use the historic site.

For more information, contact: NPS contact: Doris Fanelli at
Doris_Fanelli@nps.gov.

Learn more about the President’s House at
http://ushistory.org/presidentshouse/index.htm

Christopher Densmore
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
October 7, 2004