T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Fire Watch Design Project manager Kirsten Mikula, on right, speaks about her team's ideas for the Underground Railroad Museum to Cosi Senior Project Manager Kelli Kinzig during their first look at the Black Horse Inn.

MORRISTOWN — Representatives from COSI and Fire Watch Design met with Belmont County Tourism Council Executive Director Jackee Pugh at the Black Horse Inn to tour the building for the first time.

The tour gave the representatives a chance to see the restoration progress and discuss collaboration regarding exhibits, visitor experiences and installation planning for the Underground Railroad Museum.

The Underground Railroad Museum received $3.9 million from Gov. Mike DeWine’s Appalachian Community Grant Program in 2024. The program is part of a $154 million investment in Appalachian downtowns and destinations. One of the requirements for the grant is that the project must be completed by October.

Pugh said the project is moving along right on schedule thanks to Grae-Con Construction, which is overseeing the renovation of the more than 200-year-old building.

Pugh added that, in addition to representatives from COSI and Fire Watch Design attending Tuesday’s meeting, members of the Akron-Summit County Historical Society also were present.

“They have partnered with us to curate the artifacts that are in Flushing at the current museum to really pick out the pieces that tell the story of the chronological history of how slavery started all the way from the African slave trade to the Quakers to the abolitionists to the Underground Railroad movement and all of the way to today,” Pugh said. “That partnership has really been so helpful in us curating the many artifacts that were collected at the Flushing museum to pick the best ones to show and tell our story here in this new space.”

John Mattox and Rosalind Mattox founded the Underground Railroad Museum more than 30 years ago. Originally a traveling trunk of artifacts that Mattox carried into schools, the museum eventually grew into a collection of nearly 8,000 items at its current location in Flushing at 121 E. High St.

John Mattox Jr. said he believes both of his parents are “smiling down from heaven” while watching the transformation of the museum from its original location to the Black Horse Inn.

“They would be very amazed at this. My father has been deceased for about seven years, and my mom a little bit more, but even when he was still around, I know one of the biggest things that he carried on his sleeve was what he was going to do with this museum, this collection once he’s not here anymore, and I just asked a few people if they would help me do this, and they said yes,” Mattox said. “And ever since then, the community, and people like the Morristown Historic Preservation Society, have really come together and made this possible. I feel like I had such little to do with this and my father would have been the same way, he wouldn’t know how this happened, but I think that just goes to demonstrate how just a little bit of tenderness and relating with other people and respect and dignity can go and keeping a community more close knit together, instead of dividing us apart.”

Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton said he believes Mattox would be proud of the transformation of the museum and its move to the Black Horse Inn, which is closer to Interstate 70.

“Dr. Maddox would be so proud of how many connections have been made through this project, because he was all about connecting people and this project has connected a lot of people with great expertise, and it’s another example of things that are happening right down the street that you might not even realize are happening,” Dutton said. “This is going to be an amazing tourism location, not only for Belmont County but really for the state of Ohio, and I think that’s the indication we’re getting from the state level. The excitement at the state level for when this project is complete, and where it fits into Ohio’s tourism assets has been tremendous.”

He added that DeWine has expressed excitement for the project and plans to either attend the museum’s grand opening or visit shortly afterward, depending on his schedule.

“The governor was here for the groundbreaking with the intent of being back either for the grand opening or just on his own with his grandkids,” Dutton said. “He was very excited about what this all meant, and he spent so much time here on the day of the groundbreaking, you could tell that it meant a lot, both to he and his wife [Fran DeWine.]”

COSI Senior Project Manager Kelli Kinzig said the Black Horse Inn project aligns with COSI’s mission of believing science is everywhere and for everyone.

“We are really excited to be able to bring our talented fabrication team into the project to be able to create the new site here in Morristown,” Kinzig said. “We are putting the exhibits in, in collaboration with Fire Watch Design, so they are working on a lot of the design components that they have created and what each room will look like with all of the shelves and cases, and then COSI is physically building those. Our team of four fabricators have started working and will be working through the summer to create all of the parts and pieces that will be installed in August.”

Fire Watch Design Project Manager Kirsten Mikula said her team has a variety of displays, wall coverings, interpretation panels, technology and interactive pieces it is excited to bring to life.

She said the project has led to her learning more about the history of Belmont County and the Underground Railroad, a topic she had not studied much since school.

“It’s really cool to revisit it and learn about the local connections and the stories, and I’m really excited for the impact that it’s going to have on the local community,” Mikula said. “I’m learning a lot about the area and the history of it and I’m loving it so far.”