ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum County Historical Society will kick off the inaugural season of its Putnam Underground Railroad Forum on Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m.
The event will be held at the Stone Academy Historic District and Museum, located at 115 Jefferson St. The first program is titled “Birthplace of the Ohio Abolitionist Society” and will focus on changing ideas about slavery and changing strategies during the abolitionist movement.
“There wasn’t a lot of public opinion against slavery. Everybody accepted it, and although there were groups to help fugitive slaves, they weren’t very active. Then, around 1808, the Seventh started calling slavery a necessary evil because they didn’t know how to get rid of it,” said Peter Cultis, president of the Muskingum County Historical Society.
The forums in the series will cover a variety of topics related to Putnam’s history and provide updates on the National Register of Historic Places. The theme of the first season is “Old Putnam: A Story All Americans Can Relate to, No Matter Where They Live.”
“People don’t understand or realize the historical importance of what happened in Putnam. You have the Stone Academy building, which was built in 1809, and the Increase Matthews House, which was built in 1805. The abolitionist movement started here and it continued to grow after the abolitionist movement,” Curtis said.
Each session will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month. Events are free and no registration is required. For more information on other forums throughout the season, visit the Muskingum County History website.
History of Muskingum County
