Education, Events & Public Programs
Learn about and celebrate the trailblazers, freedom seekers, and Abolitionists who have crossed the threshold of the Haines House over the past two centuries. AAPS presents special events throughout the year, educational experiences for traditional school and homeschooled students, and public speaker programs at the House, at Rodman Library or for your own organization wherever you meet.
About Author Kathy Schulz, Her New Book, The Underground Railroad in Ohio,
& Our One-on-One Conversation at Rodman February 7th . . .
In our collaboration for 2023, the Haines House Underground Railroad Museum and the Alliance Historical Society will present author Kathy Schulz to discuss her new book, The Underground Railroad in Ohio, in the Auditorium at Rodman Library on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:30 PM. The program will take the format of an informal, sit-down conversation with AAPS President Robb Hyde on the Auditorium stage. The program is presented in partnership with Rodman Library. The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required through the Rodman Library website.
Schulz rightly believes that Ohio was at the heart of it all when it came to the route of enslaved freedom seekers. During a dark time in United States history, thousands of these freedom seekers traveled through Ohio with the help of an anti-slavery underground which was popularly known as the Underground Railroad. The Buckeye State hosted as much as half of all fugitive slave traffic of the antebellum era. A mix of Northern and Southern settlers in the state added drama to a struggle that led to major benefits for the state and the country. Unfortunately, this epic past was obscured by silence and secrecy and then distorted with misinformation and folklore--until now. Schulz accurately details the development and workings of the UGRR with true stories of Addison White, John Parker and others, as well as ties between Alliance’s actual railroads and the famed underground network in The Underground Railroad in Ohio.
After the discussion and questions from the audience, the author will sign copies of her book for attendees. Books will be available for sale before and after the program for $20.00.
Kathy Schulz is a retired college librarian. She grew up in Columbiana County between Columbiana and New Waterford, on a family farm predating the Civil War and surrounded by Underground Railroad lore. Her birthplace was Salem, the headquarters of the Western Anti-Slavery Society and a majority Quaker town full of Abolitionists. She later lived near Springfield, Ohio, on another important freedom seeker route. Kathy regards herself as a “soldier in the information revolution” during her career at Wittenberg University, though she discovered fascinating information about local anti-slavery activity the old-style way: from yellowed papers in library archives.
Kathy holds a B.S. in Education from Ohio State, an M.L.S. from Kent State, and an M. Hum. from Wright State. Her research skills recently helped her confirm Underground Railroad involvement in one of her ancestor lines in Highland County, Ohio; she suspects it in others. Kathy and her husband currently live in Santa Fe NM, where she stays busy with friends, hobbies, and grandchildren.
Robb Hyde has served as president of the Haines House/AAPS for ten of it’s twenty-two years, and frequently talks about the freedom seekers, Abolitionists, and trailblazers of Alliance history in and around the Alliance community. He’s the retired Executive Director of the Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster, and previously served as Director of Marketing & Development for the Canton Museum of Art, and the president of the Ohio Museums Association.
Admission is free. Rodman Library is located at 215 East Broadway Street in Alliance, with ample free parking. Auditorium seating is limited, so reservations are required and may be made by phone at 330-821-2665, ext. 107 or online at: https://rodmanlibrary.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=9260&backTo=Calendar&startDate=2023/02/01 .
Programs for Community / Adults
The Alliance Preservation Society presents programs throughout the area and at the Haines House for service clubs, church groups and other community organizations. Some of our programs include:
Historic Herb Gardens - The volunteers at the Haines House have put together a program around the 26 varieties of vintage herbs in the Haines House garden. The program is offered to clubs with a maximum attendance of 25.
Appetizers and herbal teas are offered in the yard during a tour of the garden. The guests are invited in the home for a catered luncheon that uses recipes containing herbs. Then a 30 minute program explains the background and uses of the lesser known herbs. A tour of the house is optional.
The Underground Railroad in the Alliance Area -
The role of local Quakers and local geography is emphasized. Contact Frank Barrett at 330-938-0087
Civil War Veterans Buried at Quaker Hill and the Alliance City Cemetery - Contact Frank Barrett at 330-938-0087
John Hunt Morgan, Confederate Civil War General - Contact Frank Barrett at 330-938-0087
The Sebring Brothers and their Potteries - Contact Frank Barrett at 330-938-0087
Historic Preservation in Alliance - Power Point about the process of designating buildings in Alliance as local landmarks. Contact Martha McClaugherty 330-821-6020 or m.mcclaugherty@yahoo.com.
Preservation of the Haines House - Wonder what it takes to transform an abandoned historic home into a community treasure? Michal Barrett and Ann Hendel review the broad-based community effort to save the oldest brick house in Alliance and tell its amazing story. Contact Ann Hendel 330-821-9211 / hendelae@gmail.com .
The Abolitionists of Alliance - Who were the people and families in our area who worked to end slavery and helped fugitive slaves. The people and their stories are what this program is all about. Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com to schedule this program.
Levi Lamborn: More Than the Man Behind the Carnation - It would be as hard to overestimate the impact of Levi Lamborn on Alliance as it would to overstate his interests and varied careers. Physician, newspaperman, horticulturalist, politician, banker, and real estate developer only cover the highlights of his long life. Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com to schedule this program.
Before Alliance: New Opportunities, New Outlooks in Ohio — 1805-1851 - Much of what we treasure as Alliance history actually predates the founding of the city. This program talks about the people and events that turned a wilderness into a community. Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com to schedule this program.
Programs with Music
Beth Gray and Robb Hyde present unique programs that blend history, visuals and music.
Programs include:
Music of the Underground Railroad - Songs of fugitive slaves and Abolitionists combine to tell the story of the Underground Railroad
Stephen Foster's Song of America - The first American songwriter captured pre-Civil War America's many faces and places.
A Civil War Christmas - Many of our American Holiday traditions originated during the mid-19th Century and were forge during the turbulent Civil War years. The program tells the story of these traditions along with the stories of local soldiers during those years.
A Thomas Nast Christmas - Newspaper cartoonist Thomas Nast was not only a clever political commentator of the Civil War era, but also helped create our classic image of Santa Claus.
Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com or Beth at 330-614-9503 / bgneissguy@icloud.com to schedule a program
Programs for Schools / Children
AAPS presents programs for children and school groups both in schools and at the Haines House. Some of our programs include:
Life in Alliance Before Electricity
This Kindergarten Program at the Haines House was developed to teach the children what life in Alliance was like without electricity. It covers the Common Core standards for this level.
Each class is divided into 3 groups of 7-8 children. They rotate among three stations. In the first station, they compare the 1850 kitchen with theirs at home. They learn how to make cornbread and butter. The students shell the corn cobs, grind the corn, mix batter and pretend to bake in a wood burning stove. While they are doing this, they shake cream to make butter. Then they get a small corn muffin with home-made butter to taste.
The next station allows them to learn about the life of a child in the 1850s. They wear vests and aprons and play with reproduction wooden toys.
They continue their hands-on study at the last station where they compare their daily schedule with the chores of a child in 1850. Then they write on slate with chalk. Finally, they match modern objects with antique ones commonly found in a home.
Pre- and post-lessons are prepared for the teachers and each child receives a free ticket to return to the house with an adult. The program is only offered for a minimum of 60 children.
Imagine and Create Your Own Historic House
Learn about historic houses in Alliance then use your new knowledge to draw and color your own imaginary historic house. This program is designed for small groups of children and takes about 1 1/2 hours. Contact Martha at 330-821-6020 or m.mcclaugherty@yahoo.com.
Learn about the Underground Railroad
A program full of games and reenactments. Designed to meet 8th grade learning standards. Contact Michal Barrett at 330-938-0087.
Hands -on History
Children experience history by doing chores, playing historic games, preparing and cooking food, eating and making crafts. Designed for small groups of children and takes about 4 hours. Contact Michal Barrett at 330-938-0087.
Your Historic Home Program Series
AAPS has a series of programs focused on your own home. Every house has at least a bit of history. Learn about it with one of these programs which include:
• Alliance's Neighborhoods & Homes
• Alliance's Sears Home & Kit Houses
• Mid-Century Modern in Alliance
• Alliance's First Housing Boom: The Teeters-Lamborn Addition
• Tomorrow's Home...Today! --Alliance's Post-WWII National Homes
• Alliance's Government Addition: A WWI Workingman's Home!
Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com or to schedule a program
Alliance Railroad History Series
Alliance would not be here without the railroad. It is a story that reflects our country's history.
Programs include:
A True Child of Steam – Alliance's Birth at The Crossing (Alliance Railroad History, Part I) - A slow start for railroads in America quickly becomes a race from East to West...and Northeast Ohio is at the epicenter of the technological explosion. This programs clears the hazy past of our community's birth and traces the start of a true railroad town at the time of Civil War.
Alliance's Golden Age of Steam (Alliance Railroad History, Part II) - From the Civil War through World War I Alliance thrived. Railroads were the model for the emerging American corporation and changed many aspects of everyday lives, even beyond the rails. Alliance became a Pennsylvania Railroad town.
Streetcars, Streamlines, and Changing Times (Alliance Railroad History, Part III) - Streetcars enhance local transportation. Streamliners dazzle the eyes and modernize the staid railroads. The rise of cars, trucks and planes in the mid-20th Century makes for trying times. Passenger service collapses, capacity declines, and mergers fail, but the government intercedes and freight business consolidates and thrives.
Child of Steam – Alliance Railroad History (The Short Line) - Not everyone is looking for three programs, so this is a whirlwind review of Alliance's long-term relationship with "The High Iron."
Contact Robb at 330-257-5751 / robbhyde@yahoo.com to schedule a program.
