TARHEEL TAR HEEL LESSONS LESSONS
On October 28, 1798, Levi Coffin, the famous anti-slavery leader and reputed “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, was born in the Guilford County Quaker community of New Garden.
Newport, now known as Fountain City, was along a route of the Underground Railroad, through which slaves escaping to freedom passed. Coffin and his wife made their house a station to shelter runaways and provide safe passage into Canada. The couple ended up helping roughly 2,000 slaves escape to safety, with each one reaching freedom. To learn more, visit bit.ly/levicoffin
Related Resources ■■ Edenton
and Halifax are among the North Carolina towns with historic connections to the Underground Railroad. Visit bit.ly/AAHalifax, and visitedenton.com (click on “Maritime Underground Railroad” and “The Life of Harriet Jacobs”). ■■ Mendenhall Plantation in Jamestown has one of two existing false-bottom wagons used to transport runaway slaves. 336-454-3819 or mendenhallplantation.org
Upcycle your imagination and visit the Unnatural Resources Fair in Greenville, where you can marvel at hundreds of creative, useful items made from normally discarded materials. This entertaining fair displays imaginative contest entries made by youths and adults in eastern North Carolina, ages 5 and up. Fair admission is free. Competition categories include toys, art, science, sports, home use, tools and working robots. The fair is set for Friday through Sunday, Feb. 3–5, at the Convention Center. Made from newspaper, While there, you can buttons and more browse books, CDs, videos and more at The Sheppard Memorial Library Book Sale, held on the same dates. For more about the annual fair and its host, The Unnatural Resources Institute: Southern unnaturalresources.com or belles were jponder@unnaturalresources.org. created from Library sale: 252-329-4885 or spotlight bulbs
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He joined the Quakers of New Garden in 1818, and began a Sunday school in the schoolhouse adjoining the meeting house. With his cousin, Vestal Coffin, he began a school for slaves, teaching them about Christianity and hosting Bible readings. Slave owners forbade their slaves to attend, and within a few years Coffin moved to Newport, Indiana.
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tar heel lessons Love is all Around! Part of a series that includes the 50 states, this book for ages 4 and up explores how love shows itself in many ways. Readers will find love is at parks and stadiums and on buses, trains and planes. It’s also in the way a father helps his child with homework each night or a young girl tucks in her bear. The book is sprinkled with brief references to sites in North Carolina, such as when a fireman in Mooresville rescues a cat, or when a policeman in Raleigh helps change a flat. Written by Wendi Silvano; illustrated by Joanna Czernichowska. Hardback, $12.99, 32 pages. sourcebooks.com
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a guide to NC for teachers and students
Years ago, the Dismal Swamp sheltered runaway slaves. Today, the state park there offers visitors 20 miles of trails beyond its 2,000-foot boardwalk.
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Coffin hosted bible readings at his school.
Swamp State Park near South Mills served as shelter for many runaway slaves seeking freedom. Some stayed only briefly to rest before finding passage north. Others created “maroon colonies” on areas of higher ground and lived out the rest of their lives there. Researchers believe the Dismal Swamp may have been home to the largest maroon colony on record. 252-771-6593 or ncparks.gov/
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Conductor of the Underground Railroad
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