SALEM, Ohio - The Salem Historical Society will be hosting an Underground Railroad-themed trolley tour on Monday, Feb 21 at 1:30 p.m. in honor of Black History Month.

The tour will last approximately one hour and 30 minutes and will focus on the history and background of the conditions that led to the Civil War, as well as information on the abolition of slavery and visits to the exterior of some of Salem's Underground Railroad sites.

Salem Historical Society Education Manager, Ginger Grilli tells 21 News that Salem has over 30 documented Underground Railroad sites, with most of them being houses.

"Salem was founded by the Quakers at the beginning of the 1800s," Grilli said. "Because of that and their strong religious beliefs that everyone is equal abolition really took hold in this area."

These include the houses of Jacob Heaton, Jonas Cattell, Benjamin and Elizabeth Jones, Israel Gaskill, John Street, Zadock Street, Joel Macmillan and Daniel Howell Hise.

The trolley will also make a stop at the Wilbur Friends Meeting House, which is a worship site.

"People in Salem opened their homes to them," Grilli said. "They transported them as conductors from one place to another and they worked with the network which is the Underground Railroad to escape to freedom."

While the tour will only consist of the exteriors of these famous houses, guests can still get a feel for what the insides of the homes looked like via a screen in the trolley, which will be playing a slideshow featuring pictures of the interiors of the houses.

In addition, prior to the trolley tour, there will be free tours of Freedom Hall from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Freedom Hall is a replica building of Liberty Hall, which was the workshop of carpenter and abolitionist, Samuel Reynolds. 

"People that are interested in social trends and issues and social justice would want to become more familiar with this," Grilli said. 

Exhibits in Freedom Hall include militaria, early careers, Grand Army of the Republic artifacts and an Underground Railroad exhibit.

"Some people that weren't able to make it in February already called to make reservations for March," Grilli said. "This is an important piece of our American history. Not just for Ohio and the Midwest."

Trolley tours are $15 per person, but the Freedom Hall tour is free. Guests do not have to purchase tickets for the trolley to participate in the Freedom Hall tour. 

The next trolley tour will be scheduled in March.