Culture
Echoes From the History Center: Dr. Cicero Fain III and Dr. Drew Feight
By: WOUB Culture Team
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On this episode of Echoes from the History Center, host Tom O’Grady speaks with Dr. Cicero Fain III of Marshall University and Dr. Drew Feight of Shawnee State University about the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Initiative. The discussion explores the effort to document and verify Underground Railroad sites across Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky through the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program.
Fain and Feight explain how historical research, archival evidence, and community partnerships have helped identify significant sites and routes while distinguishing documented history from local legend. The episode also highlights the important roles of free Black communities, interracial cooperation, and regional transportation networks in assisting freedom seekers throughout Appalachia.
Listeners will gain insight into how the initiative is reshaping public understanding of the Upper Ohio River Valley’s place in the history of the Underground Railroad and expanding access to that history through heritage tourism and education.
Listen to the conversation by clicking “play” in the SoundCloud widget above.
