Enslavement in Kentucky: History Talk and Dinner

Enslavement in Kentucky: Historic Perspectives and Research on Kentucky’s Slave Trade with Caroline Miller and Regina Lang

History Talk and Dinner

Location: Harrods Creek Farm Slave Cemetery

June 15, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

Caroline Miller and Regina Lang have a shared history in the place where they live. As a native to Mason County, Regina’s roots go way back. Her grandfather, Isaac Lang, was featured in a New York Times story where he recounted boyhood stories of playing around the Anderson Slave Pen, which was found on a Mason County farm and later transported to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH. Caroline Miller, a local historian in adjacent Bracken County, has done detailed research about the Anderson Slave Pen and interviewed Regina’s grandfather, Issac, about the folklore and artifacts he heard and found when he was a tenant on the farm during his youth.

While Caroline continues her research and publications on enslavement in the region, Regina has created Freedom Tyme Legacy Tours, where she conducts tours for 25 or more, throughout Mason County and surrounding areas, exploring sites and history that Caroline has revealed in her research.

As a local historian and member of the Bracken County Historical Society, Caroline has published numerous volumes on slave activities in Kentucky. Her seminal work, “The Grapevine Dispatch: The Voice of Antislavery Messages” (2011) captures the heart of interactions and relationships between slave holders, enslaved laborers and the culture of resistance and cruelty in Kentucky’s Antebellum years. Other work by Miller has resulted in eight volumes of compilations of slave records as well as the following publications: “Slave Escapes: Courageous Female Fugitives” (2020), “Slave Traders Anderson, Stone, McMillen and Robards”(2020), “Shackles, Iron Bars, and Coffle Chains: Devices Utilized by Slave Trader John Anderson”(2008) and “Doyles Slave Stampede: Kentucky’s Bluegrass in Peril” (2008).

Regina is a veteran of the U.S. Army, she has traveled extensively and worked as a non-profit administrator, theatre professional and art therapist. Regina is a consummate researcher who loves history and exploring the intersections between history, social dynamics, and culture.

The evening will include a visit to the Harrods Creek Farm Slave Cemetery where over 120 graves have been identified by archaeologists.

Reservations only: 502.222.0826, $20 per person includes food and non-alcoholic beverage.