Photo Gallery: National Park Service recognizes San Juan church’s Underground Railroad role

The Jackson Ranch Church and Martin Jackson Cemetery are seen on Thursday, May 2, 2024 in San Juan. They were accepted to the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Roseann Bacha-Garza stands inside the Jackson Ranch Church Thursday, May 2, 2024 in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Flags flutter in the wind in front of the Jackson Ranch Church Thursday, May 2, 2024 in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Photographs are seen inside the Jackson Ranch chapel Thursday, May 2, 2024 in San Juan. The chapel was founded in 1874 on land donated by Martin Jackson, owner of the Jackson Ranch. The ranch became a haven for fleeing enslaved people, and was an important stop on the underground railroad. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

The Jackson Ranch Church, also called the Jackson Methodist Church, in Hidalgo County was established in 1884 from land donated by Martin Jackson, the son of the settlers Matilda and Nathaniel Jackson. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Roseann Bacha-Garza talks about how she was invited to the National Park Service to participate in a 3-day scholars roundtable session on Thursday, May 2, 2024 in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)