Barring unforeseen obstacles, the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum could open its doors later this year.

Currently, city officials are drafting an operational agreement that would allow the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum committee to use the city-owned caboose and part of the land next to the Washington Civic Center to house the museum’s exhibits. The museum would tell the story of Washington’s role in the Underground Railroad.

Recently, Washington’s waterfront received designation as a National Park Service Underground Network to Freedom site.

The museum project is supported by the Washington Harbor District Alliance and Washington Noon Rotary.

Leesa Jones, who researches the role of African-Americans in Washington’s history and conducts tours that focus on that history, believes the project will promote and enhance the city’s tourism efforts that focus on the city’s history, help tell the story of African-Americans in Washington and bring tourist dollars to the city.

“We believe it’s a win-win situation for the City of Washington,” Jones said.

She’s got a point.

In a presentation last year, Jones said her research discovered evidence of ship captains used the Pamlico River to help slaves escape to freedom. She also found African-Americans used codes at the waterfront to tell escaping slaves whether to wait or board the ships.

That’s a part of Washington’s history that few people know about. It’s a part of history they should know about.

Plans call for restoring the caboose to its original paint scheme. To that end, Washington Noon Rotary has obtained professional painters to do that work. Also, the museum plans to conduct re-enactments and give presentations at the museum site.

“I think it’s a great move for the City of Washington and the history of the town,” said Ray Midgett, a member of the Washington Area Historic Foundation, about the project last year when it was explained to city officials. “It’s positive, extremely positive, for the city.”

When it comes to this project, there’s something to say. All aboard!