Photo Provided The late John Mattox will be remembered when the Underground Railroad Museum marks Juneteenth in Flushing this month. Numerous historical presentations will be provided.

FLUSHING — On June 19 the Underground Railroad Museum will mark Juneteenth, the official end of slavery in the Confederacy, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Kristina Estle, director of the Underground Railroad Museum, said the community will host events from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

“We decided to go forward with our Juneteenth celebration. It will be at Schuler Park here in Flushing,” she said. “We will also have the museum open that day for anyone who wants to visit, so we’ve got a lot going on.”

The observance rolls around as the COVID-19 pandemic is on the wane in this area. The state will lift all health restrictions this Wednesday.

“I certainly hope that the pandemic will be coming to an end. I think people are ready to get out and start attending events, which is great for small businesses such as ourselves that struggled during the pandemic,” Estle said.

Also remembered will be the late John Mattox, who had been curator of the museum and founded it with his wife, Rosalind, who is also deceased. Educating area residents about history had been one of their missions.

Presentations are scheduled, including one by John Mattox Jr. who will give an introduction and speak about the museum and carrying forward his father’s legacy.

Estle will speak about slavery and the history of Juneteenth. Wheeling historian Margaret Brennan will also speak.

Brennan will present about “slavery in Wheeling, and how it was the last stop for slavery,” Estle said.

Thomas Buckley of Flushing, museum volunteer and a member of the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable, will hold a presentation about the Emancipation Proclamation. W. Franklin Evans, president of West Liberty University, will speak about how society has progressed since slaves’ emancipation.

“We are going to be dressing up in 1860s clothing to make our presentations more appealing to the audience,” Estle said, adding the presenters will set the stage with some background about the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation.

“I also think this could be a great opportunity to spark an interest in history. There seems to be a lack of interest with younger generations. As a public historian, I think it’s really important to reach those younger generations. You have to be creative in doing so,” Estle added.

She said many will have an opportunity to participate.

“We will be having a vendors’ show, and we are still looking for vendors,” she said.

“We will have a poetry contest, and there will be two categories — middle school and high school. I have put together a judge panel that will choose the top three of both of those categories, and those top three individuals will read those poems at the celebration and the audience will vote for the winner,” she said. “The Ohio Valley Mall has donated a sum of money for us to purchase gift certificates.”

The first-place winner will receive a $100 gift certificate. The second-place winner will get a $50 gift certificate, and third-place $25.

“I think that’s a great incentive to get children to really think about slavery and the emancipation and what it means to be free,” Estle said.

An in-person event is particularly welcome after COVID-19 last year.

“It was heartbreaking last year when I couldn’t do anything for Juneteenth. There really wasn’t enough time to do anything virtually. This year I’m very excited because we have this opportunity to do something now,” Estle said.

She added that many community members do not appear to know what Juneteenth is.

“This is a wonderful chance for us to really reach out to the community about this part of history that a lot of the community doesn’t understand,” Estle said. “And Juneteenth is truly the official ending of slavery in this country, and I think it’s important to celebrate it.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War had ended and that the people who remained enslaved in Confederate territories were free. The Emancipation Proclamation, who took effect Jan. 1, 1863, had little impact on areas where there were not enough Union troops to enforce it. Therefore, slavery remained unchanged in much of Texas until Granger arrived.

“This is not black history, this is American history,” Estle said, quoting one of John Mattox Sr.’s favorite sayings. “It was a pivotal moment in our country for freedom for all.”

For those people who are unable to attend or are still unsure about gathering in person, the West Liberty University information technology department will be streaming live onto the university’s online channels, and Estle hopes to stream the celebration on the museum’s Facebook page.

The museum website is ugrrf.org. West Liberty University can be found at westliberty.edu.