Emma Johnson, Executive & News Director
June 17, 2026
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) — The Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative (AFHTI) will be hosting a dedication ceremony on Friday, June 19, 2026. This ceremony is to recognize the newly designated Asbury Parker Escape Site in Huntington, West Virginia, as part of the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.
The ceremony is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. at Harris Riverfront Park and will coincide with Juneteenth.
The Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative is a multi-state initiative led by the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation. The LEDC is documenting and interpreting verified Underground Railroad sites across Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
The marker and ceremony will honor Asbury Parker, a freedom seeker who was born into slavery in Cabell County and later escaped bondage in eastern Kentucky in 1857. Parker was assisted by a network of Black and white conductors across the Ohio River Valley, and ultimately reached freedom in Canada.
Cicero Fain III, Assistant Director of Research and Outreach for the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative said the AFHTI and the National Park Service set a goal of documenting and nominating twenty-seven Underground Railroad sites in the Tri-State area.
“The National Park Service’s approval of the Asbury Parker site marks a major milestone in that effort. This designation brings the total number of AFHTI-recognized sites to twenty-seven, including the first three Network to Freedom sites ever documented in Cabell County,” Fain III said. “Parker’s story reminds us that the struggle for freedom was deeply rooted in Appalachian communities and deserves to be remembered and shared.”
Drew Feight, Ph.D., Director of Research and Outreach for the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative said Parker’s story is among the “most remarkable” freedom-seeking journeys in this region.
“His life reminds us that the Underground Railroad was driven first and foremost by the courage and determination of freedom seekers themselves,” Feight said. “Parker risked everything to claim his freedom, and in doing so left behind a powerful testimony that helps us better understand both Appalachian history and the broader struggle against slavery.”
The National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program, created by Congress in 1998, highlights more than 800 places and programs.
The Network verifies that each one is a true story about the men, women and children who freed themselves or were helped by others to escape enslavement. The Network to Freedom program has listings in 41 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
The dedication ceremony is free and open to the public and will begin at 11am at Harris Riverfront Park.
For more information on the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative, visit www.appalachianfreedom.com.