WM plans Stories on the Stillwater: The Underground Railroad

WEST MILTON- The village of West Milton’s historical ties to the Underground Railroad will be the subject of a special Stories on the Stillwater program that will be held on Saturday, May 9 at the West Milton Municipal Park.

Hosted by local non-profit organization Project Revival, the Stories on the Stillwater program is also part of the national America 250 celebration.

“We have a lot of Underground Railroad houses,” Vice-Mayor and Project Revival vice-president Sarah Gregory said. “It was very active in the area.”

“Quakers started West Milton, and they were very involved in helping to get freed slaves through here,” she said. “That was very important to them, because Quakers are very peaceful people; they wanted to get the runaway slaves to freedom, so there’s a lot of different houses.”

The free program will feature volunteers from Project Revival, who will share stories, as well as interactive experiences and historical-themed entertainment. Food trucks, including Clark’s Pizza and Stillwater Kettle Corn and Dirty Sodas, will also be available.

The event will start at 6 p.m., and will be followed by a special showing of the movie “Hidden Figures” in the park starting at approximately 8 p.m.

“We are going to be kind of scattered throughout the park to tell stories,” Gregory said. “We’re going to have stories about what the history of the Underground Railroad is, and then we’re going to talk about the impact in West Milton.”

The Sugarland Social is actually an Underground Railroad house, so we kind of want to push people to go visit up there and then come back down to the park. She’s going to make a special America 250-themed Ice Cream.”

America 250 is a nationwide celebration of America’s 250th birthday, featuring special events and activities planned in communities across the country.

“We started planning in early 2025,” Gregory said. “West Milton is an America 250 Community; so, we registered with the state of Ohio to be listed.”

“Everyone has been positive and excited,” she said. “I think it’s going to be really fun.”

“The momentum for America 250 is really building up,” she said. “People are understanding what it is, and how important it is; we only get to celebrate America’s 250th birthday once.”

Sponsors for the event include Project Revival, The Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau, Abbey Credit Union, Flawless Signs, Through Henry’s Eyes Photography, Reflections by Rob Photography, VFW Post 5434 and the Miami County Foundation.

The program’s host, Project Revival, is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, dedicated to the revitalization, preservation and growth of West Milton.

The group is still seeking additional sponsors for the Stories on the Stillwater series, and several other upcoming events.

“On June 13, we’re going to tell about the Quakers, and we have the New Mountain Heritage Bluegrass Band playing,” Gregory said. “On June 6, Project Revival and the Miami County Veterans Services are hosting a veterans appreciation event from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll have special speakers, vendors, and Clark’s Pizza again.”

The annual Rock the Hill concert will be held on August 15, she said, featuring Chad Cremeans.

“On October 10, we are having a grand opening for the new park called Founders Park,” Gregory said. “The Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution are going to be there to tell stories about the overall history, and what America 250 is.”