Emancipation Celebration coming Sept. 17 at 2:00pm - Bob Evans Farms (Rio Grande, OH)

​                                                             Dr. John S. Mattox of Flushing, Ohio.
Dr. Mattox served in the US Air Force from 1959 to 1965. He attended Houston Tillitson College in Austin, TX where he majored in Sociology and Psychology. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service Degree from Ohio University. Dr. Mattox is a member of the National Park Service-National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, the Ohio Museum Society, the Ohio History Connection, the Smithsonian Institution, the Ohio Civil War Roundtable and numerous other organizations and committees.
He is married to his wife Rosalind with two children (John Jr. & Suzanne) and four grandchildren.
Dr. John S. Mattox is the Founder and Curator of the Underground Railroad Museum located at 121 High Street, Flushing, Ohio. Dr. Mattox is a local historian with an extensive collection of books, other publications and artifacts that he has combined and put on display at the Underground Railroad Museum.
As Curator, Dr. Mattox shares his knowledge of the Underground Railroad and the thousands of slaves that escaped the brutal effects of slavery in the South. Dr. Mattox states that by sharing his heritage with other people, we will learn what we have in common and be able to strengthen our network of understanding. This, in turn, will stimulate our youth to greater interest and comprehension of this aspect of American history.
Dr. Mattox wants to preserve and support our culture and community by contributing to a better quality of life in the 21st century. According to Dr. Mattox, the establishment of the Underground Railroad Museum will allow us to exchange ideas and experiences that will enlighten and inform others about the religious leaders (Abolitionists) and their condemnation of slavery.
In January 2016, Dr. Mattox signed a letter of intent to purchase the Benjamin Lundy House, which is located in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Benjamin Lundy resided in this home and while there, established the Union Humane Society, the first organization dedicated to the abolition of slavery west of the Appalachian Mountains. Shortly thereafter, he began publishing the anti-slavery papers, for which he became known. Dr. John Mattox is determined to keep the Underground Railroad Museum and the Benjamin Lundy House joined together so as to enlighten the community as to the historical significance of the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad in bringing about the end of slavery in America.