Underground Railroad Lecture at County Courthouse

The following information was supplied by the County of Union:

The Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee invites the public to hear a special lecture by Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps about the Underground Railroad and view new displays in the Civil War Exhibition at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth on Thursday, October 11, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

“Union County is honored to have Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps speak here about the Underground Railroad in the period leading up to the Civil War as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1861-65 conflict,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, chairman of the committee. “We welcome visitors to the Courthouse to learn more about New Jersey’s crucial role in the movement of runaway slaves northward before the Civil War and the experiences of Union County residents during the war.”

Born and raised in Elizabeth, Dr. Epps is a lifelong resident of New Jersey and a career educator. She earned degrees from Rutgers University and Seton Hall University, and her doctorate from Drew University. A past-president of the New Jersey Historical Society, she is the current President and CEO of 1804 Consultants, an organization that works for the advancement of not-for-profit educational and cultural institutions.

The lecture by Dr. Epps will be presented in the Courtroom of the Hon. Karen M. Cassidy, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court, beginning at 2:00 p.m. To reserve a seat for the lecture, please call 908-527-4999.

The Civil War Exhibition is on display until 2015 in the rotunda of the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street in historic midtown Elizabeth. The exhibit may be viewed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The displays will change from time to time. Anyone wishing to loan historical artifacts from the Civil War era for the exhibit can contact committee member Katherine Craig at 908-282-7617. All objects will be secured, locked and acknowledged.