Slavery in Platteville, Part 2: The Rountree Family

The second in a series of three presentations by historian James B. Hibbard regarding slavery in Platteville. This presentation will chronicle Platteville founder John H. Rountree’s ownership of slaves. It will look in depth at the circumstances surrounding Rountree’s slave ownership, his treatment of them, especially “Sister Rachel,” and how he eventually became an antislavery Republican. A Q&A with the speaker will follow each talk. For the health of our visitors, the presentation will be held via Zoom.

FREE, REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Zoom link will be supplied upon registration. Register using the button below.

The first two lectures in the series will be free and open to the public, and the third will be part of the Museums’ Annual Programs and Meeting, open to all who renew their annual gift to the Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums. The lecture series complements the African-American Miners in Wisconsin exhibit at the Museums since fall 2017. The exhibit was a collaboration between five UW-Platteville students and the Museums. The importance of the exhibit was recognized when the Mining History Association presented the Museums with the 2019 Beselme-Orrell Mining Heritage Award at its annual conference.