BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — On Juneteenth, you’ll hear a lot of stories about African Americans’ plight against slavery, but at The Empty Space Theatre on Woodmere Drive, you can learn a new story about the Cataract House, and the brave people that saved many slaves that came through its doors.
Part of the Underground Railroad that assisted slaves in escaping to free states or Canada, the Cataract House, based in Niagara Falls, New York, was a prestigious hotel in the mid-1800s that saw many tourists travel through with slaves.
“You were somebody if you stayed there,” said Cataract House director Avery Gibson. “There were so many guests that wanted to bring their servants or their slaves, and then their slaves would end up missing.”…