Gellman to speak on slavery Saturday at museum gathering

At the Putnam County Museum, Saturday, June 11 DePauw University Professor David Gellman will present "The End of Slavery in Indiana and the Old Northwest" in a free 11 a.m. program.

Gellman is a professor of history and department chairman at DePauw.

He will explain that although the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 famously stated "there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory," slavery as a practice and as an idea persisted in Indiana even as the transition from territory to statehood took place.

Through black resistance, political mobilization and the courts, the prospects for slavery finally faded in the Hoosier State, profoundly shaping Indiana's future.

Saturday's presentation is another in the museum's continuing lecture series on state bicentennial topics and is free and open to the public. The museum is located at 1105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle.

Persons may call the museum at 653-8419 for more information.