It was a dream, but then it became the dream that actually came true.
Now, Kristina Estle is making that dream a reality while preparing to move the Underground Railroad Museum to its new location at the Black Horse Inn in Morristown.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a little more than a month ago the museum would receive $3.9 million from his Appalachian Grant Program, an initiative that focuses on downtowns and destinations in the region. The grant will allow the facility to move from Flushing to a new location along U.S. 40, but the news wasn’t delivered the way Estle once imagined it.
“I found out in a text,” chuckled Kristina Estle, the museum’s manager. “I was sitting at a coffee shop, got the text that we got the full amount, and I started bawling. I was straight-up bawling. And I cried off and on for days.
“Dr. John Mattox is the founder of the Underground Railroad Museum because he wanted people to know the truth about what role this area of the country played during those times of slavery and the Civil War, and I know he’d be proud of us for making this happen,” she said. “He knew were needed more visibility so we could get more visitors, and this move to the Black Horse Inn will accomplish that.”
The Black Horse was opened in 1807 as a tavern and – allegedly – played a role in the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. The structure, thanks to funding from historical and tourism organizations in Ohio, was preserved over the past decade, and now the interior will be fitted for a new Underground Railroad Museum.
“There were some folks working on the plan to move the museum for the past couple of years,” Estle said. “But I didn’t get too excited about anything because moving to a location with more visibility has been an idea for a lot of years. For a little while, I didn’t think anything of it, but then we got the great, great news.
“It was so unbelievable. It was what we dreamed about since I first got involved as an intern for Dr. Mattox in 2018,” she explained. “So, ever since, I’ve been walking around the museum and looking at everything so I know what we have to move and what needs to be kept somewhere else. Plus, an exhibit design team has been here, so I’ll be working with them, too.”
The new location checks a lot of boxes, including parking, square footage, and its proximity to U.S. Route 40, which is the original National Pike, will allow for more school field trips and visits form those traveling along the federal highway.
“People were always struggling to find parking, and the school buses were always a challenge, but that will change as soon we make this move. This move will allow us to grow and improve instead of continuing to flounder financially,” Estle explained. “This is going to allow is to start over.
“Once we’re moved to the Black Horse Inn, it will allow us to continue Dr. Mattox’s legacy and to fine-tune our mission for the future. This really is THE dream come true,” she continued. “We’ll be able to keep presenting the history on the Underground Railroad, but also on the transatlantic slave trade, and all of the racial points in history and current issues.”
