TOWANDA PA – December, 2005 – The Bradford County Historical Society will receive a gift of $500.00 from The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies in Montrose on Monday, December 19, 2005. The gift is honoring the important role that BCHS is playing in a regional history project of national importance. The presentation will be made by Sherman Wooden, president of The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies.

BCHS is a major community partner in The Place I Call Home: Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Underground Railroad History. The project is an initiative of The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies [CASS] in partnership with Keystone College, to bring the story of the Abolition and Underground Railroad activities in Northeastern Pennsylvania to local, regional, and national audiences through a traveling exhibit and multi-media educational programs. The project will also produce a guide on how to conduct Underground Railroad research projects, the first known resource of its kind.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has now twice awarded vital funds to this grass-roots effort, and has included The Place I Call Home as one of the featured projects in their prestigious “We the People” Initiative, a designation given to projects that “explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture, and that advance the knowledge of the principles that define America.” As a further honor, NEH also designated The Place I Call Home as one of “America’s Historic Places.” This project, which explores a relatively unknown chapter of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s history, is one of only nine projects in the country to receive this coveted honor.

The funding and honors were bestowed in part due to the strength and breadth of the project’s community partnerships. The Endless Mountains Heritage Region has long been a supporter of CASS’ initiatives. Bradford County Historical Society is a vital community partner, providing research assistance, meeting space for public programs, technical assistance, and more.

Sherman Wooden, CASS president and a native of Susquehanna County, says the project is a natural extension of CASS’ work to preserve the history and stimulate discussion about the Anti-Slavery movement in this region. “We are committed to telling the story of African American presence and contributions in this area,” he says, “but by telling our story and examining what really happened here, we see the greater truth – that this is not simply a black history story, it is American history..”

For more information on “The Place I Call Home: Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Underground Railroad History” and related news & events, call 877-772-6084 or visit www.antislaverystudies.org.