Underground Railroad Education Center plans community expansion
by: Skylar Eagle
News 10
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Underground Railroad Education Center has been a centerpiece in highlighting Albany’s connection to abolitionist history. Its rooms are lined with direct ties to the underground railroad—a result of 20 years of research by Co-founders Mary Liz and Paul Stewart.
“We’ve been able to identify a ton of documents that reveal a story about the underground railroad here in Albany and the Capital Region that is more built out, that includes more specific personalities and their stories,” Paul Stewart, Co-Founder of the Underground Railroad Education Center, said.
Now, they plan to expand with an $8.5 Million Interpretive Center on Livingston Ave., next to their original site. The Stewarts hope to use that space to expand on their exhibits and build a community space for children, guest speakers, artists and people interested in learning more about the area’s history.
“We think it will be a great addition to the neighborhood here, it will be something that will help us in terms of the programming that we do, in terms of drawing more members of the public to enjoy the program, but also gives us more space to do more flexible programs,” Stewart said.
The center will provide career opportunities for local residents with the goal of furthering the mission of the Underground Railroad History Project and keeping the community at the center of that mission.
