Juneteenth celebrated at Hubbard House
Jun. 20—ASHTABULA — More than 50 people visited the Hubbard House in Ashtabula on Sunday afternoon to learn more about the Underground Railroad and celebrate Juneteenth.
Free tours were provided on Sunday, with five docents explaining the history of the Hubbard House in celebration of Juneteenth in different rooms throughout the house.
"We have a fantastic turnout. ...It has been a great success," said Hubbard House Executive Director Sally Bradley. She said visitors came from all over the country, including California, North Carolina, Michigan and shorter trips from Hubbard and Columbus.
"It's about education and showing honor to this day," Bradley said.
Jim Spencer, a docent at the museum, discussed the importance of Juneteenth from a historical perspective.
On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger announced to slaves in Galveston, Tx., that they were free. "This is a year and a half after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation," Spencer said.
Spencer said he loves history and Galveston was the hub of the cotton trade at the time. "It took a long time to change," he said of the freedom of slaves and the battle for equal rights.
"I have a strong interest in history," Spencer said. He said Ashtabula is fortunate that Tim Hubbard, a descendant of the Hubbard family that ran a northern stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s, worked to save the building for the future.
Hubbard spent decades working out the financial arrangements to make sure the house could be used as a museum. Hubbard wanted to provide a history of the activities that occurred at the house as slaves were helped on the last steps on their trip to freedom in Canada.
Spencer said remembering the sacrifices made by the Abolitionists is important. "It is an on-going application of what we owe each other," he said.
Tiffany Miller, of Ashtabula, made her first trip to the museum on Saturday. "Just taking advantage of the opportunity. I have never been here before," she said.
Andrew Hubbard, a descendant of the home's original owners who orchestrated the last stop on the Underground Railroad, said he remembers making trips to Ashtabula from his home in Shaker Heights.
He said he remembers coming to the Hubbard House for clean-up operations and other planned events as a child. Hubbard said he has long had an interest in the family history and how it helped change the country.
Hubbard also said there is a great deal more information he would like to see available to the public regarding the Hubbard House. "We are trying to figure out how to digitize [the many items not yet on display]," he said.
Annie Hubbard, a docent, explained the use of Spirituals by Harriet Tubman during the Underground Railroad movement. She said Tubman made 19 trips back into the South to free more slaves.
Nick Palm brought his step children to the museum to check out the history. "We live down the street and [I] have never been here," he said.
