U of A's Nelson Hackett Project Receives Honor From Arkansas Historical Association

Design by Ali Williams

A raised fist bound with banner reading "Nelson Hackett Project" is pictured in front of historical images of buildings and steamships.

The U of A's Nelson Hackett Project was recently recognized with an "Award of Merit" at the annual conference of the Arkansas Historical Association.

The association, founded in 1941, is devoted to promoting "interest in the history of Arkansas, to locate, collect and preserve historical material, and to publish scarce and important source material, and also historical articles, news and notes." The group has held a conference every year since 1946 and brings together advocates and scholars of Arkansas history from museums, local societies, schools and community groups. 

The Nelson Hackett Project tells the amazing story of Nelson Hackett, an enslaved man whose 1841 flight from Fayetteville put in motion the actions that secured Canada as a haven for those escaping bondage in the U.S. South. At the center of the project is a digital humanities website that narrates Hackett's escape and his subsequent return to Arkansas. The website also includes primary documents, maps and other materials that detail Hackett's journey and the mobilization of a trans-Atlantic abolitionist community on his behalf. 

Michael C. Pierce, associate professor of history, leads the Nelson Hackett Project. The website and materials grew out of the Arkansas Stories project, which started with support from a Chancellor's Fund grant.

Since then, the Hackett project has been recognized by the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Project and with a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.