Preservation society wins board approval for paid Oak Grove Cemetery tours to fund Underground Railroad museum study

The Park Board of Commissioners on June 4 approved guided walking tours at Oak Grove Cemetery and a separate walking tour of Underground Railroad sites in the Lower Highlands neighborhood as a fundraiser for a planned museum study.

Gail Powers, who identified herself as a board member and treasurer of the Preservation Site of Fall River, said the tours would charge $20 per person and that the group is raising $10,000 for a professional study to develop a museum space in the basement of the Dr. Isaac Fisk house at 263 Pine Street. "We started a capital campaign to raise needed funds and currently have about $4,100 designated for this, of the $10,000 that we need for the study," Powers said. She told the board the group had applied for grants, including from the Mass Cultural Council, but that effort was denied.

Powers said the Dr. Isaac Fisk house was added to the National Park Service Freedom to Network for Underground Railroad sites in February. She described the tours as a limited-time fundraiser with proceeds dedicated to the study; she said the tours would stop once the study funding target is reached.

Commissioner Amber Burns moved to approve the tours with the stipulation that organizers work with city staff on scheduling and logistics; Commissioner Helen Rigo seconded. The board voted in favor. Staff and board members discussed frequency, route safety and insurance requirements; board members asked the organizers to coordinate with parks staff to set routes, schedules and any liability coverage for permitted fundraisers.

Powers said she has led walking tours in Oak Grove in the past in cooperation with cemetery managers and described efforts to make routes safe and accessible. The board asked staff to coordinate scheduling and to confirm any insurance or permit requirements before events begin.