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It took 913 days after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for news of the emancipation to reach the enslaved in Galveston, Texas. In honor of that, the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum will celebrate that historic day.

“As part of our historic walking tour, we will commemorate Juneteenth by walking from the museum to the proposed site of Freedom Park at the corner of 4th and Van Norden Streets,” said Leesa Jones, director of the museum. “I have carefully measured it out, and it is exactly 913 steps. So, at 9:13 am on the morning of June 21, we will make our way from the museum to the proposed park site. It is important because it is paramount to celebrate and recognize the significant and profound impact of freedom from slavery and the long struggle for that freedom.  It is a celebration of freedom commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.”

Following the walk, they will make their way back to the museum. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., there will be a Juneteenth flag raising, where Black soldiers from the Washington area who fought during the Civil War will be recognized. There will also be a Freedom Tree, a six-foot Christmas tree that people will be encouraged to come by and decorate with pre-made ornaments, donning the colors of the African Flag, red, green, and black. There will also be a children’s reading hour, from books about Juneteenth, along with Juneteenth Jeopardy, bingo, a Juneteenth scavenger hunt, and Juneteenth A to Z.

“Our whole idea is to not interfere with any of the other events, like the parade and the Freedom Festival at Beebe Memorial Park later in the day,” said Jones. “But, to draw people to Washington earlier in the day and hope that they stay for the whole day and be a part of all of the amazing things happening that weekend, as we celebrate Juneteenth.”