On October 20th, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources dedicated a historical marker honoring Alum Creek State Park's connection to the Underground Railroad. Text on the marker was written by Ohio State history alum Dr. Neil Humphrey, Historical Resources Program Administrator at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The Sycamore Trail, an Underground Railroad route in central Ohio, once ran along Alum Creek between the multiracial community of Africa (which once existed by Alum Creek Dam) and Alum Creek Friends Settlement (a Quaker village historically located near Marengo in Morrow County). Today, much of the trail is underwater due to the creation of Alum Creek Reservoir—a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project intended to prevent flooding on the Scioto River and, by extension, the Ohio River. Department alumnus Dr. Neil Humphrey organized the event that included speeches from ODNR staff and from the history department's Dr. María Hammack. Located just north of Columbus, the historical marker complements the Alum Creek State Park's Heritage of Freedom trail that explores how freedom seekers utilized the natural environment during their journey northward.