WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Complaints have led organizers of an Underground Railroad reenactment to scrap a planned "slave auction" of people attending.
Westerville has a rich history of the Underground Railroad, including the name of one of its major roads.
There were at least six houses in Westerville where runaway slaves could find shelter in the 1800s.
Bishop William Hanby risked prison to allow slaves a chance at freedom.
Friday night's Freedom Trail event in Westerville will involve actors leading groups by foot and horse-drawn wagon to simulate the experience of fleeing slaves. Some of the attendees were to be "sold" in one part of the program, but Westerville Recreation Superintendent Phyllis Self says actors will play those roles instead.
Self says critics felt the original plans for the slave auction threatened to make a mockery of the Underground Railroad and turn it into a social event.
Some posters on a Columbus entertainment blog said they'd felt "sickened" by the idea, while others defended the organizers.
"I think there may have been some things that we could have done differently when it came to the publicity, but I believe that the intent of the whole program is still exactly the same and that is to share Westerville's history with the people who will be coming to the program," Self said.
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