Title
To Recognize the Kelton House Museum and Garden's 40th Anniversary
Body
WHEREAS, Fernando Cortez Kelton and Sophia Stone Kelton were staunch abolitionists who used the home they built on Town Street in 1852 as a stop along the Underground Railroad; and
WHEREAS, in 1975, the granddaughter of Fernando and Sophia entrusted the house to the Columbus Foundation whom then leased it to the Junior League of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, the Junior League of Columbus founded the Kelton Museum and Garden to educate people about the Kelton House’s role in the Underground Railroad; and
WHEREAS, the Museum preserves and develops its facility and collection, interprets local history, educates the community through its Victorian Vignettes, a kid’s-eye view of Columbus’ past and Underground Railroad learning station, and trains volunteers; and
WHEREAS, the Kelton House Museum and Garden is celebrating its 40th anniversary since its founding in 1976; and
WHEREAS, the Kelton Museum and Garden provides insight into our troubled past, one plagued by racial division and social angst by educating Columbus on the dangers of cultural division and the importance of social cohesion and compassion; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That we hereby honor and recognize the Kelton House Museum and Garden and the Junior League of Columbus for educating Columbus on the mistakes of the past and how to grow from them in the present.