Public Archeology Dig

The Oldham County History Center will host a public archaeology dig from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. This is a continuing investigation at the Gatewood Plantation site, located outside of Bedford, Trimble County, Kentucky. It is associated with freedom seeker Henry Bibb, who was enslaved at Gatewood Plantation before escaping north to Canada. In Ipswich, Canada he became the first black editor of a Canadian newspaper and ardent abolitionist. Throughout Bibb’s struggles to overcome slavery, he became well educated and made many contacts throughout the United States. Although he died before the Civil War, he has been cited by abolitionists Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass as someone who influenced their thinking. It is hoped artifacts and information will be discovered at the site which documents Henry Bibb’s narratives. These narratives can be accessed at www.docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bibb/bibb.html. This investigation is part of an ongoing program to document the artifacts and information of the Gatewood Plantation. To date, there have been over 15 different investigations at the site involving schools, the general public, historical society members and teens who have participated in summer workshops. In July 2016, the Oldham County Historical Society was awarded a designation for the Henry Bibb Escapes/Gatewood Plantation site from the National Park Service for inclusion in its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. The historical society was also awarded a second designation the same year for the holdings in its J.C. Barnett Library & Archives. Children age 13 and up are welcome on the dig but must be accompanied by an adult. Participation is free, but limited. Reservations required. Call the Oldham County History Center for more information at (502) 222-0826 or info@oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org.