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Heritage Gathering Conference and Programs

Heritage Gathering Conference and Programs

A stone monument depicts men and women hiding other men and women in a building.

Since 2018, the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission and the Michigan History Center have marked September, International Underground Railroad Month, with programs that bring together people from a variety of disciplines, industries, organizations and walks of life to discuss and explore the history and legacy of the Underground Railroad in Michigan.

Each September, the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission hosts a Heritage Gathering. The gathering offers individuals and communities with the opportunity to learn about Michigan's Underground Railroad heritage through presentations and networking.

2024 Heritage Gathering

Save the date for the 2024 Heritage Gathering! Join us on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Michigan History Center for a day of learning and community. 

This year's theme is "Working toward Freedom: Occupations and the Underground Railroad." The gathering will explore how certain occupations provided people with opportunities to be involved in assisting freedom seekers: hotel keepers and staff, tavern keepers, toll gate keepers, barbers, pastors and denominational official, and farmers. Those who worked at key locations, in places where information was exchanged or traveled regularly often played vital roles in the Underground Railroad.  

The registration fee is $12 and covers the cost of lunch. Register today!

For questions or more information, contact Sheri Giffin at GiffinS@michigan.gov. 

Read the full agenda

Programs and Presentations

Learn more about the 2024 Heritage Gathering presentations below.

  • The North Star and the Barber Pole: Black Barbers and the UGRR in the Old Northwest
    Roy E. Finkenbine, Professor of History, University of Detroit Mercy and Marker Evans, Black Barber descendent
    Roy Finkenbine will introduce the connection between occupations and the UGRR, overview the large number of black barbers involved in the UGRR from the Ohio River Valley to the Detroit River borderland, with focus on a few barbers. Then, Mark Evans, a descendant of David Adams, a black barber in Findlay, OH, who played a key UGRR role there, will speak about his important ancestor.
  • Farmers, Fugitives, and Freedom: Oakland County’s Network of Underground Railroad Activism
    Rochelle E. Danquah, Historian and Michigan Freedom Trail Commissioner
    This presentation will examine the role of farmers in abolition and Underground Railroad movements in Oakland County, Michigan, with a focus on the Refugee Home Society, a Black settlement located outside of Windsor, Canada.
  • A Real Caretaker: William Dolarson in Detroit's Underground Railroad
    Jamon Jordan, Official Historian for the City of Detroit
    Jamon Jordan will speak about William Dolarson, a freedom seeker who became a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Detroit, who worked with other agents, including William Lambert, Rev. William Monroe, and George DeBaptiste, but most significantly with Seymour Finney. The presentation will focus on Finney's role as a hotel keeper and connection to Dolarson.