FOWL & Jackson District Library partner for Underground Railroad StoryWalk at Watkins State Park and County Preserve
“The tranquility of the fallow fields belies the day a man was nearly captured at gunpoint to be taken to a slave state to be sold.” from The Near-Capture of John Felix White on Watkins Farm by Carol E. Mull. The Underground Railroad StoryWalk at Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve. Photo courtesy of Friends of Watkins Lake.
by Sara Swanson
History buffs and outdoor enthusiasts can both get excited for the new Underground Railroad focused StoryWalk at Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve (WLSPCP) up now through at least June 3.
Jen Holan, Community Engagement Manager for the Jackson District Library, explained that it will be up for at least two weeks but hopefully a bit longer and that it’s available for viewing anytime the park is open. She stated, “The idea of a StoryWalk generally is to get families outside and reading: by placing pages of a picture book along a walking path, you’re able to walk a trail while enjoying an entire book.”
Sarah Cripe, an Education Committee member of the Friends of Watkins Lake, had the idea and reached out to see if JDL could help make it happen. Holan stated, “We keep supplies on hand for pop-up StoryWalks, and loved her idea of tying it to the Watkins Farm history of the Underground Railroad. We found a beautiful picture book about Harriet Tubman (Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome) and, with help from our Local History Librarian Nathaniel Arndts, added some informational signs about the history of the area.”
The park which spans Norvell Township in Jackson County and Manchester Township in Washtenaw County was created on the location of the Watkins Farm belonging to early settlers Sally and Royal Watkins. The farm was the site of a documented Underground Railroad incident in 1847. WLSPCP was awarded membership to the Network to Freedom program through the National Park Service (NPS) in 2020.
Read the story of the plot to capture John Felix White HERE.
To visit the Storywalk, park in the parking lot at 14801 Arnold Road. From the parking lot turn east toward the old train depot /flagpole, then turn toward the lake into the refuge.
Holan added, “We do have people keeping a close eye on the StoryWalk; however if you are walking the trail and notice any damage to the signs, we encourage you to reach out with a photo of the damage to community@myjdl.com, so we can fix it as quickly as possible!”
The Jackson District Library has four other StoryWalks up currently, with the other one near the Manchester Area located on the trail behind Grass Lake High School and featuring The Mitten by Jan Brett. Learn more on their website: https://myjdl.com/services/storywalks.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont.
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