“The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression”
2026 Conference Webpage
April 10-12, 2026, hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Conference Highlights & Program:
Please see the draft program here (v. March 9, 2026) and check back for final event times closer to the conference as we are still making adjustments.
- Stedman Lecture by Nathan K. Hensley, Professor, Georgetown University
- MVSA Lifetime Achievement Award honoring Linda K. Hughes, Professor Emerita, Texas Christian University
- The conference will run from lunchtime, Friday, April 10, to lunchtime, Sunday, April 12. The Board Meeting will take place in the morning of Friday, April 10.
- Please see the call for papers at the following link as a PDF.
Registration
The early-bird conference registration fee is $175 for tenure-track faculty and $125 for graduate students, non-tenure-track faculty, and independent scholars. The registration fee covers all conference events, including breakfasts, coffee/tea breaks, two box lunches, and two light receptions. For purposes of local planning, we request that you register by March 15, 2026. Attendees are kindly asked to become MVSA members when registering ($40 for tenure-track faculty; $30 for graduate students, non-tenure-track faculty, and unaffiliated scholars). Please note: A late fee of $50 will be added to all registrations after March 15, 2026. After March 15, 2026, no refunds will be issued for cancellations of conference participation. For cancellations before March 15, 2026, registration fees can be refunded but membership dues cannot.
To register, please fill out this Registration Form, which includes places to enter information about dietary restrictions as well as any accommodations you might need during the conference. Then, use the “Pay now” button below to enter the registration and membership fees appropriate to your membership category, and complete the transaction securely online. Please note: it may take up to ten minutes for the system to process the payment and email your receipt. If you do not receive an emailed receipt, we can rectify that when you check in at the conference.
Some of our members make annual donations to MVSA, for which we are very grateful. If you would like to make a donation, that amount can be added to the same transaction as your registration payment.
MVSA 2026 Conference Registration
Pay nowAccommodations
- Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Midtown, 2145 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207. We have reserved 25 rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Midtown for those attending the MVSA 2026 conference, with a rate of $148 (plus tax) per night available from Thursday night (April 9) through Sunday morning (April 12). The room block only includes King bed rooms. The check-in time is 3:00 P.M.; check-out time is at 11:00 A.M. Breakfast is not included. Self-parking for hotel guests is available for $10/day. The hotel is located 1 mile from Xavier’s campus, so, the location is most suitable for those who are able and willing to walk to the conference venue.
- Courtyard by Marriott Cincinnati Midtown/Rookwood, 3813 Edwards Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209. We have a room block of 25 rooms reserved at a rate of $159 (plus tax) per night available from Thursday night (April 9) through Sunday morning (April 12). The room block includes King and Queen rooms. The check-in time is 3:00 P.M.; check-out time is at 11:00 A.M. Breakfast is not included. Self-parking for hotel guests is available for $10/day. The hotel is located within 5 minutes by car from Xavier’s campus and situated on a city bus route.
Transportation
To conference hotels and Xavier by car:
- Xavier University and the two conference hotels, are located off I-71. For the Hilton Garden Inn, and Xavier University, take exit 5 off of I-71; for the Courtyard Marriott Inn, take exit 6 off of I-71.
Parking at Xavier:
- Parking is available to visitors at Xavier for a fee; details on how to purchase a pass, or to locate metered spots, as well as where parking is available, will be forthcoming.
To conference hotels from the Cincinnati airport (CVG):
- Airport Shuttle Option: If you prefer to book a shuttle for your travel to and from the hotel, there is an executive shuttle shared ride service you can contact via the following website: https://executivetransportation.org/airport-shuttle/. Our hotels are located in their Zone 3 of service. If you don’t book in advance, you can still use this service; there’s a desk in the baggage claim between carousels 3 and 4. The phone number is 859-261-8841.
- Ride Share Services: Both Lyft and Uber are authorized operators. You can access them from CVG by following signage to “Ground Transport East”.
- Taxi Service: This is also available at the airport, at “Ground Transport East”. The service is zTrip and their phone number is 513-962-1122. For accessible Ground Transportation, both Executive Transportation and zTrip are ADA Authorized Operators. You’re advised to contact them in advance.
To Xavier from Conference Hotels:
- From the Hilton Garden Inn: Xavier is located on the same road (Dana Avenue) as the hotel. It is about a 1.5 mile walk down Dana Avenue to reach the campus. To slightly shorten the walk, you can take the Route 4 Metrobus three stops down the road to the Trimble Avenue Bus Stop.
- From the Courtyard Marriott: You can take the Route 51 Bus from the Courtyard Marriott stop to Dana Avenue/Woodward Avenue Bus Stop, right at the edge of Xavier’s campus. The bus ride is 13 minutes (14 stops).
- Bus information, including routes and fares, can be found at the following site: https://www.go-metro.com/
From Xavier to Harriet Beecher Stowe House:
- You can take the bus from the Xavier University/Montgomery Road stop, about a 10 minute walk from campus. Take the Route 4 bus about 10 stops (5 minutes) to the Gilbert Ave/ Buena Vista Place stop. The House is about 3 minutes from the stop.
For information on past MVSA conferences, visit the Archives section of the website.