In 2019, The American Association for State and Local History awarded the Heritage Center the Leadership in History Award, for our permanent exhibit, One More River to Cross.
AASLH is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people.
Opened May 4, 2018, One More River to Cross is the permanent exhibition at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. The goal of the project was to reintroduce the forgotten history of the Underground Railroad in Niagara Falls and share the unique and courageous stories of Underground Railroad freedom seekers and abolitionists in this city. We surpassed these goals by creating an experiential museum filled with stories grounded in academic scholarship and brought to life in an immersive experience that blends historic recreations, artifacts, original fine art, music, narration, and multimedia interactive exhibits.
The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to www.aaslh.org.