Место подпольной железной дороги в Файнлей официально включено в национальную программу свободы

FINDLAY, Ohio (WTVG) - A piece of Findlay history hidden in plain sight for generations is now getting national recognition. A local Underground Railroad site is officially part of the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program. The marker has stood in downtown Findlay since 2001, but the story behind it goes back more than 170 years. For Mark Evens, getting the country to recognize it has become personal. For Evens, this moment was 25 years in the making. “I didn’t know this growing up myself, only heard rumors, and this marker here is what really initiated my research,” Evens said. That research led him to a marker honoring David Adams, Evens’ third-great grand uncle. Adams was a free Black barber who moved to Findlay in 1848. Historians say Adams’ barber shop on South Main Street became part of a much bigger operation, helping enslaved people move north through Ohio and toward Canada. The Hancock Historical Museum says Adams is believed to have helped more than 50 people escape slavery. The Hancock Historical Museum has worked to document that history. “Inspire them to come forward and share the story. That way, we can do our duty as a historical museum and share it with the public and make sure it doesn’t get forgotten,” said Abigail Inbody, executive director of the Hancock Historical Museum. Now, the National Park Service has accepted the marker into its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The recognition goes beyond Adams, documenting a multi-generational network of family members and others who helped freedom seekers through Ohio. Fittingly, the ceremony also landed on the Adams family’s 106th annual reunion. “Now that we have these markers, it gives the youth in our family more incentive to want to continue to unite and keep the story alive,” Evens said. Evens said he still has more research he hopes to publish, with his biggest goal yet being getting this history into local schools. Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals