In Freedom’s Footsteps: Juneteenth Community History Walk

ALL guided walks are full. 

Please join us for a self-guided walk.  Pick up your brochure and catch an introductory video at the Willamette Heritage Center 9 AM – 4 PM June 19th.

The Rev. Daniel Jones was born in 1830 in Reading, Pennsylvania to a father who had escaped his enslavers in Maryland. As a teenager Rev. Jones became a ‘49er and sought his fortune in California’s gold fields. He eventually made his way to Jacksonville, Oregon, and met and married his wife Anne. The family relocated to Salem, where he somehow found time to run a barbershop, attend Willamette University’s college preparatory school, help found a school, become ordained, and plant a church. When he was transferred by the Church to New Jersey and Kentucky, he continued to represent Oregon, becoming its delegate to several national Civil Rights conferences. 

This walk will visit the sites of two of the family’s homes, the approximate location of Rev. Jones’s barbershop, the corner on which his church meetings were held and the site of one of his Emancipation Day speeches. The full walk spans a 2.4-mile loop through downtown Salem, returning to the museum.

Four guided tours will be offered in the morning.  This is a free event, but please pre-register to guarantee your guided tour spot.  Tours limited to 45 participants.  Free parking in the WHC lot.

Walk-ins will be accommodated on a first–come, first–served basis up to the cap on each walk.

Maps will also be available at the museum from 9 AM to 4 PM on the day of the event for those who wish to take a self-guided version of the tour.  An online map will also be posted on the day of the event for further access. 

Don’t forget what you signed up for by using the “Add to Calendar” button!

More information about In Freedom’s Footsteps program and past tours and highlighted individuals can be found here.

Photo Source: Reverend Daniel Jones. Lithograph as published in Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. Cleveland: Geo. M. Rewell & Co., 1887