As historic preservationist and grant writer for the City of Auburn, Mike Long has been heavily involved in the creation of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park from its beginning over 35 years ago. Mike will share the fascinating story of how it finally came into existence.
The original Underground Railroad Driving Tour was based on a 2005 book by Judith Wellman. “Uncovering the Freedom Trail” documented over 100 Underground Railroad sites in Cayuga County. Recently, the project was updated and integrated into a new mobile phone application. The driving tour is in two parts. Former Auburn Historian Mike Long will discuss the Auburn portion; and HSSM Historian Larry Bell will discuss the Cayuga County segment.
Mike Long has been known as a Preservation Advocate, previously served as Chair of the Community Preservation Committee, Inc. / Willard Memorial Chapel Project, the Chair of the City of Auburn’s Historic Resources Review Board and project manager for the Judy Wellman Underground Railroad Study, Auburn City Historian, and Speaker for the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Cayuga” History Program over the last 35 years.
Professionally, Mike worked with City of Auburn / Cayuga County Planning Board for nearly 28 years in several positions last as the Director of Capital Projects and Grants and Auburn Interim City Manager, the City Administrator of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the City Manager of Oneonta, N.Y. and most recently established a consulting business Finger Lakes Planning and Development. Long holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University as well as a Master of Landscape Architecture from S.U.N.Y - E.S.F. and was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners FAICP and retired as a “Credentialed Manager of the International City / County Managers Association (ICMA-CM).
The museum opens at 1pm on the day of the program. A Zoom link for the program will be available the week prior to the program by emailing hssmsherwood@gmail.com.