The B&o Railroad Museum, Inc.

Rails to Freedom: New Research and Interpretation on the B&o Railroad's Role in the Underground Railroad [the B&o Railroad Museum Has Definitively Documented That Freedom Seekers Used the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as Part of the Underground Railroad. the Purpose of the Requested Funding Is to Finish Our Project, Started in January 2020, on This Newly Documented History With Public Interpretation and Exhibition in the Historic Passenger Depot at MT. Clare Station, a National Historic Landmark in Baltimore. the Funding Will Additionally Assure the Museum Is Not Forced to Furlough Staff as a Result of the Continued Financial Impact of the Covid Pandemic on the Museum's Revenue and Attendance. This Project Will Contribute to the Museum's Financial Recovery From Covid and Future Sustainability.] [purpose: the Purpose of This Grant Is to Support the Implementation of the African American Railroad Oral Archives Project at the B&o Railroad Museum in Baltimore. Activities to Be Performed: the B&o Railroad Museum Will Undertake an Oral History Project to Interpret and Share Untold Histories of the Railway's Role in the Underground Railroad Efforts. as a Part of the Project, B&o Will Transform the MT. Clare Passenger Depot Into Exhibition Space; Expand School Programs Through Virtual Tours, Fieldtrips, and Traveling Programs; and Adapt a Free Summer Program to Include Underground Railroad History. the Museum Will Recruit Three Graduate Student Interns From Morgan State University, a Historically Black University, to Help Develop the Underground Railroad Project. Expected Outcomes: the African American Railroad Oral Archives Project Will Provide Visitors With an Immersive Educational Experience. the Project Should Help Visitors Better Understand the Experience of the Freedom Seekers That Passed Through the Site. the Project Will Also Contribute to the Financial Recovery From Covid and Future Sustainability of the Museum. Moreover, the Intentional Recruitment of Students From a Major Hbcu in the Baltimore Area Will Increase the Representation of African Americans in B&o Programs and Provide Students With Paid Opportunities to Learn. B&o Will Retain Eight Current Staff Members and Recruit Three-part Time Graduate Students to Help Develop and Implement the Project. Intended Beneficiaries: the General Public, Museum Visitors, Researchers, Staff, and Student Interns Will Benefit From the Project's Interpretation of Underground Railroad History, Particularly the Role of B&o Railroad's Role in the Journey to Freedom. Subrecipient Activities: the Recipient Does Not Intend to Subaward Funds.]