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When Henry Walton Bibb escaped slavery from Trimble County, Kentucky, December 25, 1837 he began an incredible story of bondage and human resiliance that was captured in his autobiography published in 1849. A noted newspaper editor, educator and black abolitionist, Henry Bibb has provided historians a window into slavery in the Upper South and the Deep South. In August 2005 the first of five archaeological surveys began at the William Gatewood plantation near Bedford, Kentucky, the site where Henry, Malinda and Mary Frances lived and worked. With the objective of making the Henry Bibb story a major factor in Kentucky's educational system, the archaeological studies have all included high school and middle school students and members of local historical societies as well as the general public. A research team documented the Kentucky sites mentioned in Henry Bibb's book and discovered new material, some that Henry could not have known himself at the time. In addition to a play, a high school produced movie, and numerous talks, in February 2008 an elementary school in Louisville will pilot the use of the Henry Bibb story at the elementary level. The paper archives and over 2,000 artifacts will be placed at the University of Louisville. The larger dream is a national trail that will connect all of the major sites linked to the Henry Bibb story through Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Windsor, Canada, and in Louisiana, Missouri, and following Mary Bibb's story through Rhode Island, Boston and New York State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]