The State Historical Society of Iowa has
been conducting historical research and fieldwork
since 2002 on the Iowa Freedom Trail Project.
This project seeks to document Underground Railroad
activities throughout Iowa by identifying individuals
and groups who were involved with these activities
and the places where these events occurred in
Iowa. The preliminary results have shown that
most of the homes and properties associated
with the Underground Railroad activities in
Iowa have been demolished or abandoned. Most
of these former homes and properties are now
archaeological sites. As part of the project,
the State Historical Society of Iowa has sponsored
several archaeological investigations to help
document the locations of these former homes
and properties associated with the Underground
Railroad activities. This presentation will
explore the results of the historical research
and fieldwork conducted to date for this project.
This presentation will also discuss the archaeological
investigations conducted in support of this
project to date.
John Zeller is the project historian on the
Iowa Freedom Trail Grant Project for the State
Historic Preservation Office, State Historical
Society of Iowa, which is a division of the
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. He has
worked at SHPO for the past four years on this
grant project researching the people, places
and events associated with the Underground Railroad
activities throughout Iowa. He received a Bachelor
of Arts degree in American History from Drake
University and has worked professionally as
a period carpenter at Living History Farms in
Urbandale, Iowa.
Douglas Jones is one of the archaeologists
on staff at the State Historic Preservation
Office at the State Historical Society of Iowa,
which is a division of the Iowa Department of
Cultural Affairs. Jones has worked at SHPO for
11 years. He received a Bachelor of Science
degree in Anthropology from Iowa State University
in 1989. He received a Master of Arts degree
in Anthropology from University of Iowa in 1993.
Jones has worked professionally as an archaeologist
throughout the Midwest and South Carolina. He
served as the Project Archaeologist on the Iowa
Freedom Trail Grant Project.
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