The late February snow gently fell this evening, as 27 Rotarians, and a plethora of Guests joined for the Evening Gathering at The Redwood. Many tables were filled with friends who were anxious to hear Wayne Buchar's Presentation tonight. It was a pleasure to have so many at our Evening Gathering!

After being warmly welcomed by Cindy, our next stop was at Laurie's and Jo's "Station", where, once again, we were greeted with pleasant smiles, as we paid for our meals. President John enthusiastically welcomed us to the Meeting, and he beamed with delight to see so many in the audience! John gave the Invocation, as he expressed his thanks to The Lord for the individuality that each of us has, and how that makes our Club so special. John filled in for Jack, who was on Zoom, and he led us in singing "God Bless America".

Cindy was asked to introduce all of our Guests, and she did an amazing job! Here are all the people whom we welcomed this evening. There were many, and that included Chris, Steve, Amy, Pauline, Betsy, Andrea, Matthias, DeeDee, Dave, Sarah, Sally, Gail, Brendan, Tracy, Jim, Jan, Scott, Jeff, Brian, Leandra, Sawyer, and Graycen. Joining us on Zoom were Jack, Sharon, Liz, Clyde, and Nancy. Many friends from the Naples Historical Society had come to hear Wayne's wonderful Program about the Underground Railroad.

Before sharing a few announcements with us, Pres. John gave kudos to our lovely Treasurer, Laurie, and our equally as lovely Sergeant at Arms, Jo. Both ladies do an outstanding performance in their respective roles! On March 5th, "Savor the Flavor" (of Fairport) will be happening. John noted that those from the Club who wished to go could carpool. The next Rotary Lite Meeting will be held on March 8th at 6PM in the Tiffany Room of the Naples Hotel. The District Training Assembly is slated for April 22nd. The District Conference is planned for May 6th in Bloomfield. The "First Draft" of the Club Brochure has been developed. We have put an "Ad" in the NCS Drama Club's Program.

Tonight's Program was a stellar one, as we welcomed Fellow Member, Wayne Buchar, who told us about Naples and the Underground Railroad. Wayne's Program was twofold, as he first explained how various events in history led to the outbreak of the Civil War, and how the Runaway Slaves (in our region) were protected. His presentation was captivating!

As Wayne strode to the podium, he first expressed his pleasure in being with us, and next, he gave a little "plug" for Trish, as he urged us (if we weren't Members) to join the Naples Historical Society. "There is a lot to learn about Naples!" said Wayne. He confessed that he has learned a great deal about Naples since he purchased The Maxfield Inn. Displaying an old photo of Naples on the screen, Wayne said that at that time, Naples was "a one cow town"!

As simplistic as Naples may have appeared in that old photo, Naples played a major role in helping slaves to escape to freedom during the Civil War Period. The Timeline of Events that preceded the Civil War included the March in Buffalo in 1848, and the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 that made it illegal to protect slaves in the North. The Dread Scott Decision of 1858 was instrumental in "kicking off" the Civil War. It was during this time that William "Billy" Marks became an advocate for slaves. The Civil War lasted from April of 1861 to May of 1865, yet positive outcomes came as a result. These were the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship if one was born in the USA, and the 15th Amendment which gave male citizens the right to vote. 

Wayne read a poem from the January 1870 Naples Record that endorsed the Ant-Slavery Movement. Many years before the outbreak of the Civil War, Abolitionism began to take hold, but the main population was against it, considering Abolitionism wrong. Wayne showed us a snippet from a publication that indicated many Naples people were against slavery. We recognized some "familiar last names" such as Lyon, Clark, Luther, Sutton, and Wilcox. We viewed a map of the Underground Railroad Routes in New York State. A professor from OSU did extensive research on the Underground Railroad. One article in particular was written about Billy Marks' role in helping fugitive slaves.

How the fugitive slaves were aided, protected, and kept safe was an interesting process. Many (in our region) arrived at Bloods' Station, from Bath. "Bloods" was the original name of Atlanta, thus, we recognized the train station in Wayne's photo! When the slaves disembarked at Bloods' Station, they would "work their way up the creek" and were directed to Marks' home. Quakers from Pennsylvania assisted them from Elmira, to Bath, to Atlanta. Billy Marks' wife, Emily Holcomb Marks, was known for her hospitality, as well.

Billy Marks derived his inspiration from someone whom he admired greatly: Frederick Douglass. Wayne showed us the letter from Frederick Douglass whereby he agreed to come to Naples to speak. Billy Marks' stories of bravery included the use of a hearse with a "trap door", as a way for the slaves to escape! There were two other "stops" in the area for the UGRR, and they were the Pitts Mansion in Honeoye, and the Cobblestone House in Canandaigua. As Wayne noted in his talk, Billy Marks was someone who "dared to do right"!

We were so grateful to Wayne for presenting this most interesting talk this evening! It is truly fascinating to learn of Naples' involvement in such a vital part of our US History!

The Ace of Hearts was at $119 tonight! Jo brought the tickets to Gail, who chose Ticket #5899, which belonged to Sue. She drew the Nine of Clubs.

Billy, (along with some help from Carrie), gave us an update on Raul. He leaves this weekend on the group trip for Hawaii. When he returns, he'll need to have his second surgery on his foot. Though he'll have to have his cast on for 6-8 weeks, Billy assured us that he'll be okay!

Sue informed us that Registrations for the Trout Derby are available at Sutton's. In anticipation of the Annual Trout Derby, Sue has patches, pins, and decals!

Our Happy Bills this evening were focused upon our appreciation of the fantastic Program delivered by Wayne! His diligent research has enabled him to share so much of Naples History with us! Many thanks to Blanche, as well, for putting tonight's Program Agenda on Social Media! It was also very nice to have so many Guests join us for tonight's Gathering! We were happy to meet Laurie's brother, Brian too! To all Guests, John added, "Come join us!"

John's closing quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson reminded us of how important it is to have "an attitude of gratitude". "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."