February is Black History Month and Kentucky State Parks will be hosting events to celebrate and honor the role African Americans played in the history of the United States and more specifically in Kentucky.
John James Audubon State Park in Henderson will hold a Chautauqua performance on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at the Audubon Museum. In “Freedom at a Terrible Price,” actor Robert Bell will portray the Reverend Newton Bush.
In 1864, Kentucky became the last state to allow slaves to enlist in the Union Army. The Rev. Bush, like many other slaves, risked his life to escape. He traveled to Camp Nelson and enlisted in the army to fight for his freedom, the freedom of loved ones, and to preserve the Union. Rev. Bush and those like him soon found that even though they were risking their lives to fight for freedom, this alone did not ensure they would be treated with any more respect and dignity than they received as slaves.
This free Chautauqua performance is presented in conjunction with the Kentucky Humanities Council and the John James Audubon Museum. For more information call (270) 827-1893.
On Friday, February 24, 2012 beginning at 11:00 a.m., at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, Pen Bogert, a preservation administrator, will share his research on slaves at the Federal Hill Plantation. Robert Bell will also repeat his “Freedom at a Terrible Price” performance as the African-American Union soldier, Reverend Newton Bush.
The event at My Old Kentucky Home is sponsored in part by the Kentucky Humanities Council. The cost of the program is $15 per person and includes lunch. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (800) 323-7803.
Other parks, such as Perryville Battlefield, will offer visitors a chance to learn some history, especially American Civil War history.
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