Blissfield historical society picks up steam
Group revived by ‘underground’ work

By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

BLISSFIELD - Shelby Raines remembers when members of the Sojourner Truth Technical Training Center asked her to get involved collecting underground Railroad history in her small Lenawee County town.

It was the same day last month that Ms. Raines, the president of the Blissfield Historical Society, had planned on discussing whether there was a future for the group because of dwindling membership.

That was then.

Now, the Blissfield Historical Society has been rejuvenated, while members try to help uncover the county’s Underground Railroad history. This weekend, several members will learn how to add the research they hope to discover to a statewide bank of information on Michigan’s role in the Underground Railroad.

"We’ve always been interested in any historical things, but we never realized until this came up what Blissfield’s role had been in [the Underground Railroad]," Ms. Raines said. "Then we became interested in it and, of course, we’re hoping that it will help keep people interested in the society."

The Underground Railroad was the name for a network of safe houses that were stops for runaway slaves looking for freedom while they fled the South to free states in the North and Canada.

The Blissfield group will participate in the first of several training symposiums the center plans to hold for volunteers interested in documenting the history of the Underground Railroad. The historical group will meet at Shipman Library at Adrian College, where the center is located.

The weekend training session will combine an introduction to the project with rigorous hands-on training on how to research and document aspects of the Underground Railroad. Everything from how to use a digital camera to the questions to ask during an oral history interview will be covered.

The database will offer a comprehensive multimedia look at the state’s Underground Railroad. By entering a name or location, site visitors should be able to find out information about movement.

"We have found that the people in those communities are the most knowledgeable about their history," said Kelly Jo Waldron, the center’s coordinator. "It feels like we have more and more people calling to see how they can get involved."

And not a moment too soon in Blissfield, where active membership in the historical society dwindled because of the lack of a project.

Chamber of Commerce Director Doug Case called it a "lucky coincidence" that the center was looking for help. He said it not only rejuvenated members of the historical society, but also offered an opportunity to learn more about the community’s past.

"We knew that Blissfield was on Route 2 of the Michigan Underground Railroad, but we did not know the extent that the community was involved until we talked to Kim [Davis, director of the Sojourner Truth Technical Training Center]," he said. "Then we found out that we have a rich history."

Linda Polter will be attending the weekend training. A historian at heart, Ms. Polter said she was excited to sink her teeth into a new project and admits that she’s likely to learn a thing or two.

"I know only of the Underground Railroad as a history teacher," said Ms. Polter, a recently retired educator. "I think it’s very exciting to think that our ancestors and those from the people of our churches may have broken the law because they were not afraid to stand up to a law that they felt was unjust."

The history of the Underground Railroad has received national attention. Groundbreaking for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati took place last month with a completion date set of July, 2004. The museum will be the largest dedicated to the Underground Railroad.

In Lenawee County, members of the center are hoping to gather interest among local historians in Tecumseh and Morenci, as well as enlist the help of history buffs in Jonesville in neighboring Hillsdale County.