The Center for A Scass-montrose.org/pdf/brochure.pdf · 2011. 9. 15. · The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies MONTROSE, PENNSYLVANIA CASSSS ONE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN OPENING THE DOORS

The Center forAnti-Slavery StudiesMONTROSE, PENNSYLVANIA

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CASS booklet-PRINTER SPREADS 7/27/06 7:38 AM Page 1

The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies (CASS) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to historic research, preservation,

and public programming. CASS is focused on the period of 1800to 1900, specifically the activities surrounding the Anti-SlaveryMovement as it came to pass in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Preserv ingRelevant HistoryPhoto courtesy of theThompson/Reid Family PhotoCollection

By working hand-in-handwith community partnersand funders, CASS is ableto preserve evidence of thisregion’s rich history andoffer technical assistance tothose seeking to preservethe legacy of their family orthe history of theircommunity.

Promot ing Historical ResearchCASS works closely with interested individuals, families andpartner organizations to find the physical documentation andhistoric sites relevant to the Anti-Slavery Movement inPennsylvania’s northeast.

Linking Our PastLinking Our Past

©Center for Anti-Slavery Studies 75 Church St. Montrose, PA 18801 570-278-6837 • 877-772-6084 • www.antislaverystudies.org

Help us ensure the preservation of a long-overlooked part of ourregion’s history.

Please mark the membership level that best suits you.

_____ Student . . . . . . . . $20.00

_____ Senior . . . . . . . . . $25.00

_____ Individual . . . . . . $35.00

_____ Supporter . . . . . . . $50.00

_____ Family . . . . . . . . . $75.00

_____ Patron . . . . . . . . . $100.00

_____ Corporate. . . . . . . $500.00

_____ Lifetime . . . . . . . . $1000.00

_____ Other . . . . . . . . . . $_____________

_____ Please contact me to discuss the benefits of joining“Friends of CASS” as a special donor.

_____ Please contact me to discuss volunteer opportunities.

Name: _____________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Email: _____________________________________________

Telephone:____________________________________________

If you requested to be contacted.

_____ Please include me when sending CASS email updates tothe community.

CASS is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.

You Hold the KeyYou Hold the KeyInvest in the Future byPreserving the PastInvest in the Future byPreserving the Past


When you become amember of CASS, youbecome part of acommunity partnershipthat helps us allunderstand the past andshape the future.

This partnership is made of an extraordinary group of committedindividuals whose generous support helps fund new andinvigorating research into this region’s Anti-Slavery andUnderground Railroad activities.

Your tax-deductible donation helps to fund research,educational outreach, special exhibitions and the preservationof historic sites.

MembershipMembershipWhere Individual ActionsMake All the DifferenceWhere Individual ActionsMake All the Difference

Acquir ing Sites for PreservationMany important sites that bear witness to this region’sUnderground Railroad history are in danger of being lost totime. CASS works to identify, acquire and preserve these sitesfor future generations.

Educat ing the PublicPeople enjoy hearing historywhere it happened. CASSengages in a host of publiceducation initiatives:school programs,lectures and seminars,conferences, historicmarker erections,walking tours,motorcoach tours,exhibits,publications, andpublic forums.

with Our Potential with Our Potential

CASS’ Miss ion :To promote historical study and research

To discover, collect, preserve, and publish history relative to theAnti-Slavery Movement activities in Northeastern Pennsylvaniaduring the period from 1800-1900

To acquire and carefully preserve relevant sites by donation,bequest, or purchase

To educate the general public through interpretive programs,exhibitions, and publications



CASS hopes to correct the revisionist history that excludedAfrican-Americans from their rightful place in our regionalhistory by looking at the character of local communities.

What was their relationship with the black citizens andneighborhoods in their midst? Let’s also ask the question sorarely discussed when talking about the Underground Railroad:After the escape, what happened next?

Conducting Histor ica l ResearchSchool children in Springville pause for a photograph and provideevidence of an integrated educational system in the late 1800’s

CASS is dedicated to exploring the ways in which people livedand worked together in this region, examining the social, civic,

economic,political, spiritualand evengeographicalfactors thatencouraged bothfree blacks andescaped slaves tosettle in the hills ofNortheasternPennsylvania.

PreservationPreservationDigging Deep to Find OutDigging Deep to Find Out

Providing Technical Support toFamilies and OrganizationsSherman Wooden, CASS president, presents gift to board officers of theBradford County Historical Society in Towanda, PA.

Many local organizationsare working hard topreserve historic andcultural resources, but arestruggling with similarchallenges. CASS takestime to build strongrelationships and then

slowly draws partner organizations together to work regionally –utilizing their combined strengths to maximize the benefit to ourcommunities. CASS also offers specialized programs, trainings andincentives so that each organization can capitalize on new resourcesmade available through initiatives like “The Place I Call Home.”

Assistance with preservation of family photo albums is just one ofmany ways CASS works with families to preserve their hertitage.

Local people are the heart of CASS’ vision for community. Manyfamilies in Pennsylvania’s Northeast had ancestors who were partof the region’s Anti-Slavery movement. CASS is dedicated toproviding these family members and other individualswith the support they need to preserve thisvital legacy. CASS againtakes the timeto build eachrelationship,listen to eachfamily’s need,and respectfullyassist them intheir efforts to doresearch, catalogassets, procuringfunding and more.

CommunityCommunity



Special InitiativesWorking to Build a Sense ofWorking to Build a Sense of

Special Initiatives

“The Place I Call Home:Northeastern Pennsylvania’sUnderground Railroad History”This special project started with a question: Why was there such asignificant African American population in the small town of Montrose

in the 1800’s? Many werepeople who had beenformerly enslaved but whoescaped and came here.Why? What was it aboutthis region that caused themto stay here and build a newlife? Shown here: Montrosefiremen from the late1800’s.

“The Place I Call Home”is an ambitious projectwhose goal is to research,preserve and interpretNortheasternPennsylvania’sUnderground Railroadhistory. The compellingstory of Northeastern

Pennsylvania’s role in the Anti-Slavery movement will contributesignificantly to understanding the Commonwealth’s vital roleduring this national struggle for equality.

The five-year project, scheduled for completion in 2008, willpresent this history to local audiences as well as to visitorsusing a variety of components:

• A Traveling Exhibit and Companion Web Site• Educational Materials and DVD• A Series of Books and Related Publications• A Variety of Public Programs

Preservat ion of Historical AssetsThe Anti-Slavery Movement in this region can best be found through

items of everyday life – simple things thatdocument the lives people lived in our

communities.

Evidence of Underground Railroadand Abolition activities can be found in

many places. Family photo albums andpapers, church and court records, newspaper

clippings, civic organization rolls, industry payrollledgers and much more. Helping families and

organizations understand and preserve these assets has become amajor part of CASS’ vital work.

The William Smith house, below, was built after he escaped fromslavery and came to live in Montrose. Soon, others who escaped builthomes nearby and the AME Zion Church was erected as a place forworship.

The story of the Anti-Slavery movement in this area is one ofcommunity life, so our Underground Railroad sites are oftencommon places – a home, a church, a cemetery. Once thesignificance of a place has been established, CASSworks to either acquire that site for preservationor assist the owner in their efforts towardpreservation. Then begins theprocess of preservation planning,funding and restoration.

Who We AreWho We Are

570-278-6837 • 877-772-6084 • www.antislaverystudies.org©Center for Anti-Slavery Studies 75 Church St. Montrose, PA 18801 570-278-6837 • 877-772-6084 • www.antislaverystudies.org


Much is accomplished when people gather together. Publicgatherings in the 1800’s were instrumental in the Anti-SlaveryMovement and CASS continues the tradition of bringing peopletogether for a purpose. Town Hall meetings, conferences, bookreading groups, public programs and bake sales are just some ofthe ways that CASS acts as a catalyst for civic engagement,giving people a reason to come together once again.

Making History Access ib leCASS worked to dedicate a historical marker, erected in Springville,PA, to honor Judge Jonathan Jasper Wright. The son of escapedslaves, he was the first black Judge in Pennsylvania and the firstAfrican-American US Appellate Judge in the United States.

Historic markers help a community remember certain events andpeople of importance to them. Markers also invite peoplepassing through an area to stop awhile and learn about whathappened there. CASS works to research and nominate storiesfor remembrance in the Commonwealth’s historic markerprogram. CASS also assists other organizations in their efforts toerect markers in their communities.

Engaging Our CommunitiesIncreasing community awareness of our richheritage is an ongoing initiative towhich CASS is passionatelydedicated so that people likeHenrietta Cooper ofTowanda, PA, can beremembered.Photo: Bradford CountyHistorical Society’s Ott &Hay Glass Plate NegativeCollection

How does CASSstimulate interest in andhunger for a relativelyunknown piece of localhistory? Through newspaperarticles, radio interviews,television programs, local newscoverage and more. Keeping intouch with interested community membersvia email updates, mailings and a web site helps people realizethat each one of us plays a vital role in preserving and celebratingour region’s history.

A group learns about the mechanism of this region’s UndergroundRailroad and Abolition activities during CASS’ annual “Experience theUnderground Railroad” held at Old Mill Village in New Milford, PA

Since each person has different interests and learning styles,CASS presents a wide array of public programs for all ages, frominteractive walking and motorcoach tours to academic seminarsand conferences. CASS also brings history to the public viatraveling exhibits, publications and commemorative events.Members are often out in the communitysetting up booths at country fairsand gatherings, or givingeducational programs atschools, libraries,churches andcommunitycenters.


Public AccessBringing Real People Out of the Dust of History

Public AccessBringing Real People Out of the Dust of History


Documents

The Center for A Scass-montrose.org/pdf/brochure.pdf · 2011. 9. 15. · The Center for Anti-Slavery Studies MONTROSE, PENNSYLVANIA CASSSS ONE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN OPENING THE DOORS