To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth, the Gammon House and the Springfield Chapter of the Links Inc. are throwing a day-long party at the Springfield landmark, which was a stop on the underground railroad.
Gammon House has hosted a local Juneteenth celebration for the past seven years.
“Since we are the underground railroad museum in Springfield, we want to show how important freedom is to all people,” said chairwoman Betty Grimes.
The event will go from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at 620 Piqua Place.
There will be live performances by Step Forward Productions, Revamp Music Ministries and the Xclusive Dance Crew, plus food vendors, informational displays, games and crafts for kids.
Gail Grant, the Juneteenth chairperson for Links, said she’s excited to run the art tent. There children’s depictions of the Gammon House in 1850 will be on display and kids will have the opportunity to play with and make period games.
She recently taught 139 students at several Springfield elementary schools about the holiday.
“Juneteenth is similar to when we celebrate our freedom in this country on July 4,” Grimes said.
It’s an important piece of African-American history that not everyone knows about, said Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams.
“If I asked my granddaughter, do you know the history of Juneteenth, she wouldn’t know,” Williams said, “because black history is not taught.”
The hope is that the fun of Saturday’s celebration will bring people out and they’ll also learn about the history of slavery, the underground railroad, Gammon House and emancipation, organizers said.
The Gammon House will be open for tours all day and a new Juneteenth history display will be set up.
“I hope that everyone comes out and at least walks through the Gammon House,” Williams said.
The Gammons were a free black family who took a major risk in 1850 when it was announced that anyone caught aiding runaway slaves would be imprisoned and fined. It isn’t known how many slaves they helped, but their home was one of only three underground railroad stops in the state owned by free black families.
Preservation efforts at the home began in 1998 and a major reconstruction started in 2000.
For more information, visit gammonhouseoh.org or springfieldohlinks.org.
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