An intimate reception was held at the Roanoke Canal Museum this evening to mark the designation, but a public event called Walking in the Footsteps of Freedom will be held November 14 to dedicate the sign which honors the designation. That part of the event will begin at 9 a.m. at the museum and from 9:30 to noon there will be a walk on the trail with historic interpretation given. The tour will then trek the rest of the trail to Weldon where there will be food, music, art, historic interpretation and pontoon boat rides on the river.

Also commemorating the designation is a new exhibit at the museum, featuring a painting by local artist Napoleon Hill as well several ads which the Roanoke Navigation Company posted offering rewards for runaway slaves.

“Having the designation for the trail and museum will help gain a new audience,” said Randall Spence, the city's cultural resources leader who also oversees the operation of the museum.

Photos from the reception and new exhibit

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The research leading to the designation came from researching the old ads and researching the record of the number of freed men and women in the town of Halifax. The trail itself was a level towpath which made movement easy, Spence said.

Spence said research will continue to further substantiate the role the canal played in the underground railroad and its designation is part of an overall project to discover the entire county's role in the network.

Lori Medlin, president of the Halifax County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said the trail becoming part of the Network to Freedom ties the canal to a quarter-mile trail in Halifax which leads to the river.

Kathy White, of Friends of the Roanoke Canal Trail and Museum, which hosted the reception, said the trail was the only place designated in North Carolina in the most recent round of submissions.

What earned the designation, she said, was research by Spence which was “equivalent to a masters thesis.”

She praised the help of North Carolina State University history professor David Zonderman, who has been coming to Roanoke Rapids since 2001. “This would not have happened without David Zonderman.”

Zonderman said the work will not end with the designation. “We're trying to document all the places. Its up to the community to provide the evidence. The project that has developed is public history in action.”

Roanoke Rapids Parks and Recreation Director John Simeon said, “Randall is demonstrating sound, professional initiative with this designation.”

Simeon said the designation should be embraced as part of history. “We will use it as an education tool.”