Last Friday, Dawson-Bryant Elementary enrichment students toured the Underground Railroad of Southern Ohio after studying about that part of history.

The students spent time in the prior weeks learning about the path to freedom that African American slaves used during the mid 1800s, including reading novels about famous abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass and John Rankin.

In addition, the students also researched local history about the Underground Railroad by analyzing family heritage information from the Lawrence County Historical Museum and developing their own family trees.

During the trip, they learned more about the historical time period by visiting the John Rankin home in Ripley, as well as the John Parker Museum. Their next stop was the National Freedom Center in Cincinnati, where they were introduced to an actual slave pen and other historical artifacts.

The students then ate lunch at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse before boarding the Cincinnati Belle to gain knowledge about the history of Cincinnati.

Katie Hamm, intervention specialist at the school, and her enrichment students thanked principal Angie LaFon and the Dawson-Bryant Schools’ administration for supporting the experience.