- Ta članek opisuje zgodovinske poti za ameriške sužnje. Glej Javni prevoz za podzemne železniške sisteme v dobesednem pomenu.
The Podzemna železnica je mreža različnih zgodovinskih poti, s katerimi so afriško-ameriški sužnji pobegnili Združene države in suženjstvo z doseganjem svobode v Kanada ali drugih tujih ozemelj. Danes so številne postaje ob "železnici" muzeji in spomeniki potovanju nekdanjih sužnjev proti severu.
Razumeti
- Poglej tudi: Zgodnja zgodovina ZDA
Od rojstva kot samostojna država leta 1776 do izbruha Ljubljane Državljanska vojna glede tega vprašanja leta 1861 so bile ZDA država, kjer je suženjska institucija povzročila grenke delitve. Na jugu je bilo suženjstvo nosilec agrarnega gospodarstva, ki ga poganjajo masivni nasadi bombaža in drugih delovno intenzivnih poljščin. Medtem so bile na severu laične države, kot npr Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pensilvanija, New York, New Jersey in vse Nova Anglija, kjer je bilo suženjstvo nezakonito in abolicionist uspevalo je gibanje, ki je moralno (in ekonomsko) nasprotovalo suženjstvu. Med njimi so ležale tako imenovane "obmejne države", ki so se razprostirale zahodno proti vzhodu sredi države od Missouri skozi Kentucky, Zahodna Virginija, Maryland in Okrožje Columbia do Delaware, kjer je bilo suženjstvo zakonito, a kontroverzno, z ukinitvenimi simpatijami med prebivalstvom niso bile neznane.
Do sredine 19. stoletja je krhka pat-pozicija, ki je bila značilna za odnose Sever-Jug v prejšnjih desetletjih, popustila pred vse večjimi napetostmi. Glavno plamenišče je bil zakon o ubežanju sužnjev iz leta 1850, zvezni zakon, ki je dovolil, da so pobegle sužnje, odkrite v svobodnih državah, prisilno prepeljali nazaj v zasužnjevanje na jugu. V severnih državah, ki so suženjstvo že končale v svojih mejah, so nov zakon dojemali kot množično nasprotovanje - še toliko bolj, ko so se zgodbe o nasilnih ugrabitvah poklicnih slavecatcherjev začele širiti v javnosti. Ker se je zvezni zakon lahko uporabil za sicer proste države zaradi lokalnih ugovorov, so vsi pobegli sužnji, ki so prišli v severne države, nenadoma imeli dober razlog, da nadaljujejo proti Kanadi, kjer je bilo suženjstvo že dolgo prepovedano - in različne skupine so načeloma hitro našle motivacijo ali versko prepričanje, da bi znatno tvegali, da bi pomagali izseljevanju s severa.
Črni sužnji so za pobeg na prostost uporabljali različne poti. Nekateri so pobegnili proti jugu Teksas do Mehika ali iz Florida do različnih točk v Karibi, toda velika večina poti se je proti svobodnim zveznim državam usmerila proti Kanadi ali drugim britanskim ozemljem. Nekaj jih je zbežalo čez New Brunswick do Nova Škotska (afriški geto je obstajal v Ljubljani Halifax do šestdesetih let), a najkrajše, najbolj priljubljene poti so prečkale Ohio, ki je suženjstvo v Kentuckyju ločevalo od svobode čez Jezero Erie v Zgornja Kanada.
Ta eksodus sovpada z velikim špekulativnim razcvetom pri gradnji potniških tirnic kot nove tehnologije (glavna proga Grand Trunk iz Montreal skozi Toronto odprto leta 1856), zato je to ohlapno povezano intermodalno omrežje zlahka prevzelo železniško terminologijo. Tisti, ki so novačili sužnje, da bi iskali svobodo, so bili "agenti", skrivališča ali počivališča ob poti so bila "postaje" z lastniki domov "poveljniki postaj" in tisti, ki financirajo prizadevanja "delničarji". Abolicionistični voditelji so bili "dirigenti", med katerimi je bila najbolj znana nekdanja sužnja Harriet Tubman, ki je bila pohvalna za njen trud pri vodenju tristo iz Marylanda in Delawareja skozi Philadelphia in proti severu države New York do svobode v Kanadi. V nekaterih odsekih so "potniki" v temnih zimskih nočeh potovali peš ali skriti v konjskih vpregah proti severu; v drugih so potovali z ladjo ali konvencionalno železnico. Verske skupine (kot so kvekerji, Društvo prijateljev) so bile pomembne v ukinitvenem gibanju in pesmi, priljubljene med sužnji, so se sklicevale na biblijsko Izhod iz Egipt. Tubman je bil dejansko "Mojzes", Velika medvedka in severna zvezda Polaris pa sta pokazala na obljubljeno deželo.
Podzemna železnica je bila razmeroma kratkotrajna: izbruh ameriške državljanske vojne leta 1861 je iz večine obmejnih držav naredil vojno območje, ki je že tako nevaren prehod še bolj okrepil, hkrati pa je v veliki meri odpravil potrebo po nadaljnjem izseljevanju iz severnih zveznih držav v Kanado; do leta 1865 je bilo vojne konec in suženjstvo je bilo odpravljeno po vsej državi. Kljub temu se ga spominjamo kot osrednjega poglavja ameriške zgodovine na splošno in zlasti afriško-ameriške zgodovine, saj so številne nekdanje postaje in druga mesta ohranjena kot muzeji ali zgodovinske znamenitosti.
Pripravite se
Čeprav obstajajo različne poti in precejšnje razlike v razdalji, odhod po poti Harriet Tubman pokriva več kot 800 km (800 km) od Marylanda in Delawareja prek Pensilvanije in New Yorka do Ontarija v Kanadi.
V preteklosti je bilo mogoče državljanom obeh držav mejo med ZDA in Kanado in potni list razmeroma enostavno. V 21. stoletju to večinoma ne drži več; Mejna varnost je postala strožja v obdobju po 11. septembru 2001.
Danes državljani ZDA potrebujejo potni list, ameriško potno listo, kartico Trusted Traveler Program ali izboljšano vozniško dovoljenje za vrnitev v Kanado v ZDA. Dodatne zahteve veljajo za stalno prebivališče ZDA in državljane tretjih držav; glej članke o posameznih državah (Kanada # Vstopi in Združene države Amerike # Vstopite) ali preverite Kanadska pravila in Ameriška pravila za zahtevane dokumente.
Medtem ko se tukaj opisane poti lahko pretežno prevozijo po kopnem, je zgodovinsko natančen prikaz prevoza v Ljubljani para obdobje bi ugotovilo, da potovanje v cestnem prometu močno zaostaja za parne železnice in ladje, ki so bile čudeže njihovega časa. Ceste, kakršne so bile, so bile le malo več kot blatne umazane poti, ki so bile v najboljšem primeru primerne za konja in voz; pogosto je bilo hitreje pluti ob Atlantsko morje namesto poskusa enakovredne kopenske poti. Zgodovinsko resnično podzemno železniško potovanje bi bilo bizarno intermodalno mešanico vsega, od konjskih vozov do rečnih bark, do primitivnih tovornih vlakov do bega peš ali plavanja čez Mississippi. Na nekaterih točkah, kjer so poti zgodovinsko prečkale Ljubljano Velika jezera, danes ni predvidenega trajekta.
The različne knjige napisan po državljanski vojni (kot je Wilbur Henry Siebert Podzemna železnica od suženjstva do svobode: celovita zgodovina) opisujejo na stotine vzporednih poti in nešteto starih domov, v katerih bi lahko bila "postaja" v razcvetu eksodusa proti severu, vendar popolnega seznama vsega po sebi ni. Ker je mreža delovala tajno, le malo sodobnih zapisov s kakršno koli zanesljivostjo navaja, kakšno vlogo je imela vsaka posamezna figura ali prizorišče - če sploh - v obdobju antebelluma. Večina prvotnih "postaj" so zgolj stare hiše, ki so videti kot kateri koli drugi domovi te dobe; od tistih, ki še stojijo, mnogi niso več ohranjeni na zgodovinsko natančen način ali pa so zasebna bivališča, ki za potnika niso več odprta. V lokalnem ali nacionalnem zgodovinskem registru je lahko naštetih ducat nepremičnin v posamezni okrožju, le majhna manjšina pa so zgodovinske cerkve, muzeji, spomeniki ali znamenitosti, ki obiskovalce vabijo, da storijo kaj več, kot da se odpeljejo mimo in na kratko pogledajo od zunaj.
Ta članek našteva številne vrhunce, vendar sam po sebi nikoli ne bo izčrpen.
Vstopi
Najpogostejše vstopne točke v omrežje podzemne železnice so bile obmejne države, ki so predstavljale ločnico med svobodnimi in sužnji: Maryland; Virginia, vključno s tem, kar je zdaj Zahodna Virginia; in Kentucky. Do velikega dela tega ozemlja je enostavno doseči Washington DC.. Tubmanovo potovanje se na primer začne v okrožju Dorchester, na Vzhodna obala Marylanda in vodi proti severu Wilmington in Philadelphia.
| “ | Se vidiva zjutraj. Navezan sem na obljubljeno deželo. | ” |
-Harriet Tubman | ||
Pojdi
Obstaja več poti in več odhodnih točk za vkrcanje na ta vlak; tukaj našteti so zgolj pomembni primeri.
Tubmanova Pensilvanija, Auburn in Niagarska železnica
Ta pot vodi skozi Pensilvanijo in New York, skozi različna spletna mesta, povezana z "dirigentko" podzemne železnice Harriet Tubman (pobegnila leta 1849, aktivna do 1860) in njenimi sodobniki. Rojen kot suženj leta Okrožje Dorchester, Maryland, Tubman so njeni mojstri iz otroštva pretepli in bičali; pobegnila je v Philadelphio leta 1849. Ko se je vrnila v Maryland, da bi rešila svojo družino, je na koncu vodila na ducate drugih sužnjev, ki so ponoči potovali v skrajni tajnosti.
Maryland
Cambridge, Maryland - Tubmanovo rojstno mesto in izhodišče njene poti - je od Washingtona, DC, ločen z zalivom Chesapeake in je približno 140 km jugovzhodno od prestolnice prek ZDA 50:
- 1 Državni spomenik podzemne železnice Harriet Tubman, 4068 Golden Hill Rd., Church Creek (17,2 km južno od Cambridgea po državnih poteh 16 in 335), ☏ 1 410 221-2290. Vsak dan od 9.00 do 17.00. 17 hektarjev velik (7 ha) narodni spomenik z obiskovalskim centrom, ki vsebuje eksponate o Tubmanovem zgodnjem življenju in izkoriščanja kot dirigent podzemne železnice. V bližini nacionalnega zatočišča za divje živali Blackwater se je ta pokrajina malo spremenila od dni podzemne železnice. prost.
- 2 Organizacija Harriet Tubman, 424 Race St., Cambridge, ☏ 1 410 228-0401. Muzej zgodovinskih spominkov se nahaja v nekdanji stavbi v središču Cambridgea, odprt pa je po dogovoru. Obstaja tudi pritrjeni skupnostni center s popolno paleto kulturnih in izobraževalnih programov v zvezi s Harriet Tubman in podzemno železnico.
Delaware
Kot je opisano Wilburju Siebertu leta 1897, del Tubmanovega pot iz 1 Cambridge severno do Filadelfije se zdi, da se po cesti po cesti prevozi 190 km 2 Vzhodna nova tržnica in 3 Topolov vrat na državno linijo Delaware, nato prek 4 Sandtown, 5 Willow Grove, 6 Camden, 7 Dover, 8 Smirna, 9 kos, 10 Odessa, 11 Novi grad, in 12 Wilmington. Za dosego je bilo potrebnih dodatnih 48 km (48 km) 13 Philadelphia. Del poti v Delawareju zasledi podpisani Podzemna železnica Harriet Tubman Scenic Byway, kjer so izpostavljena različna mesta podzemne železnice.
- 3 Hiša prijateljev Appoquinimink, 624 Main St., Odessa. Odprto za storitve 1. in 3. ne vsak mesec, ob 10.00. 1785 opečna kvekerska molitvena hiša, ki je služila kot postaja na podzemni železnici pod vodstvom Johna Hunna in Thomasa Garretta. Druga zgodba je imela odstranljivo ploščo, ki je vodila v prostore pod napuščem; do kleti je prišla majhna stranska odprtina v tleh.
- 4 [prej mrtva povezava]Dvorna hiša Starega gradu, 211 St. Delaware, Novi grad, ☏ 1 302 323-4453. Tu-Sa 10:00 - 16:30, Ned 1: 30-4: 30 PM. Eno najstarejših ohranjenih sodišč v ZDA, zgrajeno kot zbirališče kolonialne in prve državne skupščine Delawareja (ko je bil New Castle glavno mesto Delawareja, 1732-1777). Vodnikom podzemne železnice Thomasu Garrettu in Johnu Hunnu so tu leta 1848 sodili in jih obsodili, ker sta kršila zakon o begunskem sužnju in jih bankrotirala z globami, ki so le utrdile občutke suženjstva vseh vpletenih. Donacija.
Ločnica med suženjskimi in svobodnimi državami je bila linija Mason-Dixon:
- 5 Mason-Dixon linija, Kmetijska tržnica Mason-Dixon, 18166 Susquehanna Trail South, Shrewsbury, Pensilvanija. Betonska postaja označuje mejo med Marylandom in Pennsylvanijo v Shrewsburyju, kjer so bili sužnji osvobojeni po prehodu v Pennsylvania med Ameriška državljanska vojna. Lastniki tržnic na kmetijah si delijo zgodbe o hišah podzemne železnice in drugih postajališčih za sužnje med Marylandom in Pennsylvanijo. Prosto stojte in se fotografirajte z betonskim označevalnikom.
Pensilvanija
Prva "svobodna" država na tej poti, Pensilvanija je leta 1847 ukinila suženjstvo.
Philadelphia, zvezna prestolnica v večjem delu obdobja Georgea Washingtona, je bila žarišče ukinitve in zakon o postopni odpravi suženjstva, ki ga je državna vlada sprejela marca 1780, je prvi prepovedal nadaljnji uvoz sužnjev v državo. Medtem ko so člani kongresa v Philadelphiji izvzeli vrzel, sta se George in Martha Washington (kot lastnika sužnjev) skrbno izogibala, da bi šest mesecev ali več preživela v Pensilvaniji, da ne bi bila prisiljena dati svobodi svobodo. Ona Judge, hči sužnja, ki jo je podedovala Martha Washington, se je bala, da jo bodo ob koncu predsedovanja Washingtona na silo vrnili v Virginijo; s pomočjo lokalnih svobodnih črncev in ukiniteljev je bila postavljena na ladjo New hampshire in svoboda.
Leta 1849 je Henry Brown (1815-1897) pobegnil iz suženjstva v Virginiji, tako da se je dogovoril, da se bo v leseni zaboj poslal v Filadelfijo. Od tam se je preselil v Anglija od 1850-1875, da bi pobegnil z zakonom o begu sužnjih, postal čarovnik, šovmen in odkrit abolionist.
- 6 Zgodovinsko mesto Johnson House, 6306 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, ☏ 1 215 438-1768. Sa 13:00 - 17:00 skozi vse leto, Th-F 10 AM - 16 PM, od 2. februarja do 9. junija in od 7. septembra do 24. novembra, samo po dogovoru. Ogledi odhajajo vsakih 60 minut ob 15 minutah čez uro, zadnji odhod pa odide ob 15:15. Nekdanja varna hiša in gostilna na območju Germantown, ki sta jo obiskala Harriet Tubman in William Still, ena od 17 postaj podzemne železnice v Pensilvaniji, naštetih v lokalnem vodniku Podzemna železnica: Pot do svobode. Še vedno je bil afriško-ameriški ukinitelj, uradnik in član društva za suženjstvo v Pensilvaniji. Na voljo so urni ogledi. 8 USD, starejši 55 USD, otroci 12 let in manj kot 4 USD.
- 7 Dvorec Belmont, 2000 Belmont Mansion Dr., Philadelphia, ☏ 1 215 878-8844. Tu-F 11:00 - 17:00, poletni vikendi po dogovoru. Zgodovinski dvorec v Filadelfiji z muzejem podzemne železnice. 7 USD, študentski / starejši 5 USD.
- 8 Podzemni železniški center Christiana, 11 Green St., Christiana, ☏ 1 610 593-5340. M-F 9 AM-16PM. Leta 1851 je skupina 38 lokalnih Afroameričanov in belih abolicionistov napadla in ubila Edwarda Gorsucha, sužnjarja iz Marylanda, ki je prispel v mesto in zasledoval štiri svoje pobegle sužnje, ter ranil dva njegova spremljevalca. Zaradi kršitve zakona o begunskem sužnju so bili obtoženi izdaje, v Zercherjevem hotelu pa je potekalo sojenje. Danes je v nekdanjem hotelu muzej, ki pripoveduje zgodovino tistega, kar je postalo znano kot Odpor pri Christiani. prost.
- 9 [mrtva povezava]Afroameriški muzej v Srednji Pensilvaniji, 119 N. 10. sv., Branje, ☏ 1 610 371-8713, faks: 1 610 371-8739. Z & Ž 10:30 - 13:30, ned zaprto, vse ostale dni po dogovoru. Nekdanja cerkev Bethel AME v Readingu je bila nekoč postaja na podzemni železnici, zdaj pa muzej, ki podrobno opisuje zgodovino temnopolte skupnosti in podzemne železnice v osrednji Pensilvaniji. 8 USD, starejši občani in študentje z ID 6 USD, otroci od 5 do 12 USD, otroci do 4 leta brezplačno. Vodeni ogledi 10 USD.
- 10 Hiša in muzej Williama Goodridgea, 123 E. Philadelphia St., York, ☏ 1 717 848-3610. Prvi F vsakega meseca od 16.00 do 20.00 in po dogovoru. William C. Goodridge, rojen v suženjstvu v Marylandu, je postal ugleden poslovnež, za katerega se sumi, da je v enem od tovornih vagonov svojega železniškega vozila Reliance Line skril ubežne sužnje. Njegova čudovita dvonadstropna opečnata hišica na obrobju središča Yorka je zdaj muzej, posvečen njegovi življenjski zgodbi.
Medtem ko Pensilvanija meji na Kanado čez jezero Erie v njegovem najbolj severozahodnem kotu, so iskalci svobode, ki so prihajali iz vzhodnih mest, navadno nadaljevali po kopnem prek države New York do Kanade. Medtem ko bi Harriet Tubman pobegnila naravnost proti severu iz Filadelfije, je veliko drugih potnikov prehajalo v Pensilvanijo na več točkah vzdolž črte Mason-Dixon, kjer je država mejila na Maryland in del Virginije (danes Zahodne Virginije). Tako so nastale številne vzporedne črte, ki so vodile proti severu skozi osrednjo in zahodno Pensilvanijo do države New York Južni nivo.
- 1 Fairfield Inn 1757, 15 W. Main St., Fairfield (13 km zahodno od Gettysburg po cesti 116), ☏ 1 717 642-5410. Najstarejša neprekinjeno obratovana gostilna na območju Gettysburga iz leta 1757. Sužnji bi se skrili v tretjem nadstropju, potem ko so se plazili skozi odprtine in vrata. Danes je izrezano okno, ki razkriva, kje so se sužnji skrivali, ko je bila gostilna "varna postaja" na podzemni železnici. 160 USD / noč.
- 11 Stari zapor, 175 E. King St., Chambersburg, ☏ 1 717 264-1667. Tu-Sa (maj-oktober), četrtek (celo leto): od 10. do 16. ure, zadnja turneja ob 15. uri. Zapor, zgrajen leta 1818, je preživel napad, v katerem so konfederati leta 1864 požgali Chambersburg. Pet kupolastih ječ v kleti je imelo obroče v stenah in na tleh, da so uklenili preračunljive ujetnike; te celice so bile morda tudi skrivaj uporabljene za zavetje pobeglih sužnjev, ki so se odpravili na prostost na severu. 5 USD, otroci 6 in več 4 USD, družine 10 USD.
- 12 Zgodovinski center podzemne železnice Blairsville, 214 E. South Ln., Blairsville (27 km južno od Indiana, Pensilvanija po cesti 119), ☏ 1 724 459-0580. Maj-oktober po dogovoru. Stavba Druge baptistične cerkve podzemno železnico postara za več kot pol stoletja - zgrajena je bila leta 1917 -, vendar je je najstarejša zgradba v črni lasti v mestu Blairsville, danes pa služi kot zgodovinski muzej z dvema eksponatoma, povezanima s suženjstvom in emancipacijo: "Svoboda v zraku" pripoveduje zgodbo o ukinitvah okrožja Indiana in njihovih prizadevanjih za pomoč beguncem sužnji, medtem ko je naslov "Dan v življenju zasužnjenega otroka" samoumeven.
- 13 Pokopališče Freedom Road, Freedom Rd., Loyalsock Township (1,5 km / 2,4 km severno od Williamsport skozi Market Street in Bloomingrove Road). Daniel Hughes (1804-1880) je bil splavarist, ki je prevažal les iz Williamsporta v Havre de Grace v zvezni državi Maryland na zahodnem kraku reke Susquehanna in na povratku skrival ubežne sužnje. Njegova kmetija je zdaj majhna Državljanska vojna pokopališče, zadnje počivališče devetih afroameriških vojakov. Čeprav obstaja zgodovinska oznaka, je to mesto (leta 1936 preimenovano iz Nigger Hollow v Freedom Road) majhno in ga je enostavno zamuditi.
Najbolj priljubljena možnost pa je bila slediti obali od Filadelfije do New York City na poti do Albany ali Boston.
Država New York
Ubežali sužnji so bili na prijateljskem terenu v zvezni državi New York, eni najbolj trdno ukinjenih regij države.
- 14 [mrtva povezava]Rezidenca Stephena in Harriet Myers, 194 Livingston Ave., Albany, ☏ 1 518 432-4432. Ogledi M-F 5-8 PM, Sa opoldne-16 PM ali po dogovoru. Stephen Myers je bil nekdanji suženj, ki je postal osvobojenec in ukinitelj, ki je bil osrednja osebnost lokalnega dogajanja podzemne železnice, in od vseh številnih hiš, ki jih je naselil v Albanyjevi soseski Arbor Hill sredi 19. stoletja, je to edina še vedno ohranjen. Takrat dotrajano hišo so v sedemdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja rešili pred uničenjem žoge in restavratorska dela še potekajo, a za zdaj lahko obiskovalci uživajo v vodenih ogledih hiše in v majhnem, a vrednem seznamu muzejskih eksponatov o Myersu, dr. Thomasu Elkinsu in drugi ugledni člani Odbora za budnost Albanyja. 10 USD, upokojenci 8 USD, otroci 5–12 USD.
V Albanyju je obstajalo več možnosti. Ubežniki bi lahko nadaljevali proti severu do Montreala oz Quebecje Vzhodna mesta preko jezera Champlain ali (pogosteje) bi lahko zavili proti zahodu Eriejev kanal črta skozi Sirakuza do Oswego, Rochester, Buffalo, ali Niagarski slapovi.
- 15 Posestvo in zemljiška pisarna Gerrit Smith, 5304 Oxbow Rd., Peterboro (15,1 km vzhodno od Cazenovia po okrožnih cestah 28 in 25), ☏ 1 315 280-8828. Muzej Sa-Su od 13. do 17. ure, konec maja in konec avgusta, vsak dan zori mrak. Smith je bil predsednik Newyorške organizacije za suženjstvo (1836-1839) in "mojster postaje" na podzemni železnici v 40. in 50. letih 20. stoletja. Razprostranjeno posestvo, kjer je živel vse življenje, je danes muzejski kompleks z notranjimi in zunanjimi eksponati o iskalcih svobode, bogastvom Gerrit Smitha, človekoljubjem in družino ter podzemno železnico.
Sirakuza je bila ukinitvena trdnjava, katere osrednja lokacija je postala "veliko osrednje skladišče na podzemni železnici", skozi katerega je veliko sužnjev šlo na svobodo.
- 16 Reševalni spomenik Jerryja, Clinton Square, Syracuse. Med državno konvencijo svobodnjaške stranke proti suženjstvu leta 1851 je jezna množica nekaj sto odpraviteljev ubila pobeglega sužnja Williama "Jerryja" Henryja iz zapora; od tam je bil tajno prepeljan v mesto Mehika v New Yorku in tam skrit, dokler ga neke temne noči niso mogli vkrcati na britansko-kanadsko ladijsko ladjo za prevoz čez jezero Ontario do Kingston. Devet tistih, ki so pomagali pri begu (vključno z dvema ministroma za vero), je pobegnilo v Kanado; od devetindvajsetih, ki so jim sodili v Sirakuzah, so bili vsi razen enega oproščeni. Zapor ne stoji več, je pa na Clintonovem trgu postavljen spomenik v spomin na te pomembne dogodke.
Na tem območju so potovali potniki, ki so prihajali iz Pensilvanije čez južni sloj Itaka in jezero Cayuga, da se priključite glavni poti na Auburn, mesto zahodno od Sirakuz 20. ZDA. Harriet Tubman je tu živela od leta 1859 in ustanovila dom za ostarele.
- 17 Cerkev sv. Jakoba AME Zion, 116 Cleveland Ave., Itaka, ☏ 1 607 272-4053. M-Sa 9 AM-5PM ali po dogovoru. Afriška metodistična škofovska cerkev Zion je bila ustanovljena v zgodnjih devetdesetih letih 20. stoletja v New Yorku kot odcep Metodistične škofovske cerkve za služenje temnopoltih župljanov, ki so se v obstoječih cerkvah takrat srečali z očitnim rasizmom. James, ustanovljen leta 1836, je bil postaja na podzemni železnici, gostil je službe, ki so jih obiskovali afroameriški svetilci iz 19. stoletja, kot sta Harriet Tubman in Frederick Douglass, leta 1906 pa je gostil skupino študentov, ki so ustanovili Alpha Phi Alpha, najstarejšo državo. uradna črna bratovščina.
- 18 Domov Harriet Tubman, 180 South St., Auburn, ☏ 1 315 252-2081. Tu-F od 10.00 do 16.00, od 10.00 do 15.00. Tubman, znan kot "Mojzes njenega ljudstva", se je po državljanski vojni v tej skromni, a čedni opečni hiši naselil v Auburnu, kjer je upravljala tudi dom za ostarele in revne Afroameričane. Danes je to muzej, v katerem je zbirka zgodovinskih spominkov. 4,50 USD, starejši (60) in študentje 3 USD, otroci od 6 do 17 let.
- 19 Cerkev Thompson AME Zion, 33 Parker St., Auburn. Zaprto za restavracije. Afriška metodistična škofovska cerkev Zion iz leta 1891, kjer je Harriet Tubman obiskovala bogoslužja; pozneje je omenjeni Dom za ostarele prepustila cerkvi za upravljanje po njeni smrti.
- 20 Pokopališče Fort Hill, 19 Fort St., Auburn, ☏ 1 315 253-8132. M-Ž 9:00 - 13:00. Nahaja se na hribu s pogledom na Auburn in so ga Indijanci že leta 1100 našega štetja uporabljali za pokopališča. Vključuje pokopališča Harriet Tubman in vrsto drugih lokalnih zgodovinskih svetilk. Spletno mesto vključuje zemljevid za tiskanje in samo vodeni sprehod.
Glavna pot se nadaljuje proti zahodu proti Buffalu in Niagarskim slapom, ki sta še danes najbolj prometna prehoda na meji Ontario-New York. (Nadomestne poti vključujejo prečkanje jezera Ontario iz Oswega ali Rochesterja.)
- 21 Zgodovinski muzej Palmyra, 132 Market St., Palmira, ☏ 1 315 597-6981. Tu-Th 10 AM-5PM vse leto, Tu-Sa 11 AM-16 PM v visoki sezoni. Eden od petih ločenih muzejev v zgodovinskem muzejskem kompleksu Palmyra; vsak predstavlja drugačen vidik življenja v stari Palmiri. V vodilnem muzeju so različne stalne eksponate o lokalni zgodovini, vključno s podzemno železnico. 3 USD, upokojenci 2 USD, otroci do 12. leta brezplačno.
Rochester, dom Fredericka Douglassa in množice drugih odpravnikov kazni, je beguncem omogočil tudi prehod v Kanado, če so se lahko odpravili do Kelseyjevega pristanišča severno od Spodnjih slapov Geneseeja. V mestu je bilo več varnih hiš, tudi Douglassin dom.
- 22 Muzej in znanstveni center Rochester, 657 East Ave., Rochester, ☏ 1 585 271-4320. M-Sa 9.00–17.00, Ned 11.00–17.00. Rochesterjev interaktivni znanstveni muzej ima poltrajno razstavo, imenovano Let do svobode: Rochesterjeva podzemna železnica. Otrokom omogoči vpogled v zgodbo o železnici skozi oči izmišljenega otroka, ki je pobegnil v Kanado. Odrasli 15 USD, upokojenci 14 USD, starost 3-18 USD 13, mlajši od 3 let brezplačno.
Celotna mednarodna meja Ontarija je voda. V krajih, kot je Buffalo, je bilo nekaj trajektov, vendar je bila infrastruktura redka. Niagarski slapovi imel 825 ft (251 m) železniški viseči most, ki je povezoval Kanado in ZDA mesta dvojčka pod padci.
- 23 Umetniški muzej Castellani, 5795 Lewiston Rd., Niagarski slapovi, ☏ 1 716 286-8200, faks: 1 716 286-8289. Tu-Sa 11.00–17.00, Ned 13.00–17.00. Del stalne zbirke umetniške galerije v kampusu univerze Niagara je "Cross Cross: The Underground Railroad in Greater Niagara", ki pripoveduje zgodbo o gibanju Underground Railroad na Niagarska meja.
- 24 [mrtva povezava]Interpretacijski center podzemne železnice Niagarskih slapov, 2245 Whirlpool St., Niagarski slapovi (ob Whirlpoolovem mostu in postaji Amtrak). Tu-W & F-Sa 10:00 - 18:00, 10:00 - 20:00, Ned 10:00 - 16:00. Nekdanja ameriška carinska hiša (1863-1962) je danes muzej, posvečen zgodovini podzemne železnice na Niagarski meji. Razstave vključujejo rekreacijo "Hiše sive mrene", enega največjih hotelov v Niagarskih slapovih v tistem času, katerega pretežno afroameriški natakar je bil ključnega pomena za pomoč pobeglim sužnjem na zadnji stopnji njihove poti. 10 USD, dijaki in študentje z ID 8 USD, otroci od 6 do 12 USD.
- 25 Mesto visečega mostu Niagarskih slapov. Zgrajen leta 1848, je bil ta prvi viseči most čez reko Niagaro zadnji del poti Harriet Tubman iz suženjstva v Marylandu do svobode v Kanadi in v naslednjem desetletju se bo večkrat vrnila kot "dirigentka" za druge pobegle. Po letu 1855, ko so ga preuredili v železniški most, so sužnje čez mejo pretihotapili z živino ali prtljago. Mesto je zdaj Whirlpool Bridge.
Na severu je Lewiston, možen prehod do Niagara na jezeru v Kanadi:
- 26 [mrtva povezava]Prva prezbiterijanska cerkev in vaško pokopališče, 505 Cayuga St., Lewiston, ☏ 1 716 794-4945. Odprto za storitve Ned 11:15. Skulptura pred najstarejšo cerkvijo Lewiston (postavljena leta 1835) spominja na pomembno vlogo, ki jo je imela v podzemni železnici.
- 27 Spomenik prestopu svobode (V pristajalnem parku Lewiston, na zahodni strani N. Water St. med Centrom in Onondaga St.). Skulptura na prostem na bregu reke Niagare, na kateri je prikazan lokalni vodja postaje podzemne železnice Josiah Tryon, ki odvrača družino iskalcev svobode na njihov zadnji pristop k Kanadi. Tryon je upravljal svojo postajo iz Hiše sedmih kleti, bratovega prebivališča severno od središča vasi (še vedno ohranjenega, vendar ne odprtega za javnost), kjer je vrsta stopnic vodila iz večstopenjskega omrežja medsebojno povezanih kleti do rečnega brega. , od koder bi Tryon ubežnike prepeljal čez reko, kot je prikazano v skulpturi.
Na jugu je Buffalo, nasproti Trdnjava Erie v Ontariu:
- 28 Baptistična cerkev na ulici Michigan, 511 Michigan Ave., Buffalo, ☏ 1 716 854-7976. To je najstarejša nepremičnina, ki so jo neprestano imeli, upravljali in zasedli Afroameričani v Buffalu zgodovinska cerkev služil kot postaja na podzemni železnici. Zgodovinski ogledi so na voljo po dogovoru. $5.
- 29 Broderick Park (na reki Niagari na koncu ulice West Ferry), ☏ 1 716 218-0303. Mnogo let preden je bil na jugu zgrajen Mirovni most, je bila povezava med Buffalom in trdnjavo Erie s trajektom in na ta način je reka prešla v Kanado. Na mestu so spominske in zgodovinske plošče, ki ponazarjajo pomen mesta, občasno pa tudi zgodovinske rekonstrukcije.
Kot smo že omenili, so se nekateri begunci namesto tega približali z juga, prehajali so iz zahodne Pensilvanije skozi južni nivo proti meji.
- 30 [prej mrtva povezava]Pionirska hiša Howe-Prescott, 3031 Cesta 98 Jug, Franklinville, ☏ 1 716 676-2590. Ned junij-avgust po dogovoru. Ta hiša je bila zgrajena okoli leta 1814 s strani družine uglednih odpravnikov kazni. V letih pred državljansko vojno je ta hiša služila kot postaja na podzemni železnici. Zgodovinsko društvo Ischua Valley je mesto obnovilo kot pionirsko domačijo z eksponati in demonstracijami, ki prikazujejo življenje v zgodnjih dneh belega naselja v zahodnem New Yorku.
Ontario
Konec vrstice je Sv. Katarine v Ontariu Regija Niagara.
- 31 Britanska metodistična škofovska cerkev, kapela Salem, 92 Geneva St., St. Catharines, ☏ 1 905-682-0993. Storitve Su 11:00, vodeni ogledi po dogovoru. St. Catharines je bilo eno glavnih kanadskih mest, ki so ga naselili pobegli ameriški sužnji - Harriet Tubman in njena družina so tam živeli približno deset let, preden so se vrnili v ZDA in se naselili v Auburnu v New Yorku - in ta preprosta, a lepa lesena cerkev je bila zgrajena leta 1851, da bi jim služila kot častišče. Zdaj je navedeno kot nacionalno zgodovinsko mesto Kanade, zunaj stavbe pa je postavljenih več plošč, ki pojasnjujejo njeno zgodovino.
- 32 Pokopališče črncev, Niagara na jezeru (vzhodni strani Mississauga St. med Janezom in Marijo sv.), ☏ 1 905-468-3266. Baptistične cerkve v Niagari - bogoslužne hiše beguncev podzemne železnice v Niagari ob jezeru - že dolgo ni več, pokopališče na nekdanji lokaciji, kjer je bilo pokopanih veliko njenih občanov, pa ostaja.
- 33 Griffinova hiša, 733 Mineral Springs Rd., Ancaster, ☏ 1 905-648-8144. Ned 13.4, julij-sep. Pobegli suženj iz Virginije Enerals Griffin je leta 1834 pobegnil v Kanado in se kot kmet naselil v mestu Ancaster; njegova kmečka kmečka hiša je zdaj obnovljena v prvotni videz. Sprehajalne poti nazaj vodijo v čudovito dolino Dundas in vrsto slapov. Donacija.
Regija Niagara je zdaj del območja Zlata podkva, najbolj gosto poseljen del province. Nadalje je Komisija za tranzit v Torontu (☏ 1 416-393-INFO (4636)) teče letno Podzemna vožnja z vlakom v počastitev dneva emancipacije. Vlak zapusti Union Station v Ljubljani v središču Toronta pravočasno, da dosežemo Sheppard West (nekdanji severozahodni konec proge) nekaj po polnoči 1. avgusta. Praznovanja vključujejo petje, branje poezije in igranje bobnov.
Linija Ohio
Kentucky, suženjska država, je od Indiane in Ohaja ločena z reko Ohio. Zaradi lege Ohaja (ki meji na najjužnejšo točko Kanade čez jezero Erie) je več vzporednih linij vodilo proti severu čez državo do svobode v Zgornji Kanadi. Nekateri so šli skozi Indiano v Ohio, drugi pa so vstopili v Ohio neposredno iz Kentuckyja.
Indiana
Neposredno čez reko od Louisville, Kentucky, mesto New Albany je služil kot eno glavnih prehodnih točk za begunce, ki so se odpravili proti severu.
- 34 Mestna urna cerkev, 300 E. Main St., New Albany, ☏ 1 812 945-3814. Storitve Su 11:00, ogledi po dogovoru. V tej obnovljeni cerkvi grškega preporoda iz leta 1852 je bila nekoč Druga prezbiterijanska cerkev, postaja podzemne železnice, katere prepoznavni urni stolp je brodarjem na reki Ohio označeval lokacijo New Albanyja. Zdaj je dom afroameriške kongregacije in je predmet prizadevanj za zbiranje sredstev, namenjenih vrnitvi stavbe v prvotni sijaj po letih zanemarjanja, gosti redne bogoslužja, vodene oglede po dogovoru in občasne zgodovinske komemoracije in druge prireditve.
Indianapolis je 130 km (210 km) severno; Ribiči in Westfield so med predmestji.
- 35 Muzej prenije Conner, 13400 Allisonville Rd., Ribiči, ☏ 1 317 776-6000, brez cestnin: 1-800 966-1836. Preverite spletno mesto za urnik. Dom gledališke oddaje "Sledimo zvezdi severni zvezdi" - zgodovinsko uprizoritev, kjer udeleženci potujejo nazaj v leto 1836 in prevzamejo vlogo ubežnih sužnjev, ki iščejo svobodo na podzemni železnici. Učite se tako, da postanete ubežni suženj v interaktivnem srečanju, kjer muzejsko osebje postane lovci na sužnje, prijazni kvekerji, osvobojeni sužnji in železniški vodniki, ki odločajo o vaši usodi. $20.
Westfield je odlično mesto za sprehode; zgodovinsko društvo Westfield-Washington (glej spodaj) lahko zagotovi osnovne informacije. Zgodovinski sprehodi in ogledi Ghost Indiana (☏ 1 317 840-6456) zajema tudi "duhove podzemne železnice" na enem od njenih ogledov po Westfieldu (obvezne rezervacije, preverite urnik).
- 36 Zgodovinsko društvo in muzej Westfield-Washington, 130 Penn St., Westfield, ☏ 1 317 804-5365. Sa 10.00-22.00 ali po dogovoru. Poravnali so ga trdno ukinjeni kvekerji, zato ne bi smelo biti presenečenje, da je bil Westfield eno od žarišč podzemne železnice v Indiani. V tem muzeju izvejte vse o tistih in drugih elementih lokalne zgodovine. Donacija.
Od območja Indianapolisa se pot razcepi: lahko se usmerite proti vzhodu v Ohio ali proti severu v Michigan.
- 37 Državno zgodovinsko mesto Levi in Catharine Coffin, 201 ZDA Route 27 North, Fountain City (14,8 km severno od Richmond prek ZDA 27), ☏ 1 765 847-1691. Tu-Su 10.00–17.00. The "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad where three escape routes to the North converged is where Levi and Catharine Coffin lived and harbored more than 2,000 freedom seekers to safety. A family of well-to-do Quakers, the Coffins' residence is an ample Federal-style brick home that's been restored to its period appearance and opened to guided tours. A full calendar of events also take place. $10, seniors (60 ) $8, children 3-17 $5.
Another option is to head north from Kentucky directly into Ohio.
Ohio
The stations listed here form a meandering line through Ohio's major cities — Cincinnati do Dayton do Kolumb do Cleveland do Toledo — and around Lake Erie to Detroit, a journey of approximately 800 mi (1,300 km). In practice, Underground Railroad passengers would head due north and cross Lake Erie at the first possible opportunity via any of multiple parallel routes.
Od Lexington, Kentucky, you head north 85 mi (137 km) on this freedom train to Covington. Directly across the Ohio River and the state line is Cincinnati, one of many points at which thousands crossed into the North in search of freedom.
- 38 National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, ☏ 1 513 333-7500. Tu-Su 11.00–17.00. Among the most comprehensive resources of Underground Railroad-related information anywhere in the country, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center should be at the top of the list for any history buff retracing the escapees' perilous journey. The experience at this "museum of conscience" includes everything from genuine historical artifacts (including a "slave pen" built c. 1830, the only known extant one of these small log cabins once used to house slaves prior to auction) to films and theatrical performances to archival research materials, relating not only the story of the Underground Railroad but the entirety of the African-American struggle for freedom from the Colonial era through the Civil War, Jim Crow, and the modern day. $12, seniors $10, children $8.
30 mi (48 km) to the east, Williamsburg and Okrožje Clermont were home to multiple stations on the Underground Railroad. 55 mi (89 km) north is Springboro, just south of Dayton in Okrožje Warren.
- 39 Springboro Historical Society Museum, 110 S. Main St., Springboro, ☏ 1 937 748-0916. F-Sa 11AM-3PM. This small museum details Springboro's storied past as a vital stop on the Underground Railroad. While you're in town, stop by the Chamber of Commerce (325 S. Main St.) and pick up a brochure with a self-guided walking tour of 27 local "stations" on the Railroad, the most of any city in Ohio, many of which still stand today.
East of Dayton, one former station is now a tavern.
- 1 Ye Olde Trail Tavern, 228 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, ☏ 1 937 767-7448. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM; closes an hour early Oct-Mar. Kick back with a cold beer and nosh on bar snacks with an upscale twist in this 1844 log cabin that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. Mains $8-12.
Continue east 110 mi (180 km) through Columbus and onward to Zanesville, then detour north via Route 60.
- 40 Prospect Place, 12150 Main St., Trinway (16 miles/26 km north of Zanesville via Route 60), ☏ 1 740 221-4175. Sa-Su noon-4PM, Mar 17-Nov 4. An ongoing historic renovation aims to bring this 29-room Italianate-style mansion back to its appearance in the 1850s and '60s, when it served as the home of railroad baron, local politico, and abolitionist George Willison Adams — not to mention one of the area's most important Underground Railroad stations. The restored portions of the mansion are open for self-guided tours (weather-dependent; the building is not air-conditioned and the upper floors can get stifling in summer, so call ahead on hot days to make sure they're open), and Prospect Place is also home to the G. W. Adams Educational Center, with a full calendar of events,
Another 110 mi (180 km) to the northeast is Zavezništvo.
- 41 Haines House Underground Railroad Museum, 186 W. Market St., Alliance, ☏ 1 330 829-4668. Open for tours the first weekend of each month: Sa 10AM-noon; Su 1PM-3PM. Sarah and Ridgeway Haines, daughter and son-in-law of one of the town's first settlers, operated an Underground Railroad station out of their stately Federal-style home, now fully restored and open to the public as a museum. Tour the lovely Victorian parlor, the early 19th century kitchen, the bedrooms, and the attic where fugitive slaves were hidden. Check out exhibits related to local Underground Railroad history and the preservation of the house. $3.
The next town to the north is 42 Kent, the home of Kent State University, which was a waypoint on the Underground Railroad back when the village was still named Franklin Mills. 36 mi (58 km) further north is the Lake Erie shoreline, east of Cleveland. From there, travellers had a few possible options: attempt to cross Lake Erie directly into Canada, head east through western Pennsylvania and onward to Buffalo...
- 43 Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum, 1603 Walnut Blvd., Ashtabula, ☏ 1 440 964-8168. F-Su 1PM-5PM, Memorial Day through Labor Day, or by appointment. William and Catharine Hubbard's circa-1841 farmhouse was one of the Underground Railroad's northern termini — directly behind the house is Lake Erie, and directly across the lake is Canada — and today it's the only one that's open to the public for tours. Peruse exhibits on local Underground Railroad and Civil War history set in environs restored to their 1840s appearance, complete with authentic antique furnishings. $5, seniors $4, children 6 and over $3.
...or turn west.
- 44 Lorain Underground Railroad Station 100 Monument, 100 Black River Ln., Lorain (At Black River Landing), ☏ 1 440 328-2336. Not a station, but rather a historic monument that honors Lee Howard Dobbins, a 4-year-old escaped slave, orphaned en route to freedom with his mother, who later died in the home of the local family who took him in. A large relief sculpture, inscribed with an inspirational poem read at the child's funeral (which was attended by a thousand people), is surrounded by a contemplative garden.
West of Lorain is Sandusky, one of the foremost jumping-off points for escaped slaves on the final stage of their journey to freedom. Among those who set off across Lake Erie from here toward Canada was Josiah Henson, whose autobiography served as inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel, Kabina strica Toma. Modern-day voyagers can retrace that journey via the MV Jiimaan[mrtva povezava], a seasonal ferry plying the route from Sandusky to Leamington in Kingsville, Ontario, or else stop in to the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center at 4424 Milan Rd. and pick up a brochure with a free self-guided walking tour of Sandusky-area Underground Railroad sites.
- 45 Maritime Museum of Sandusky, 125 Meigs St., Sandusky, ☏ 1 419 624-0274. Year-round F-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM; also Tu-Th 10AM-4PM Jun-Aug. This museum interprets Sandusky's prominent history as a lake port and transportation nexus through interactive exhibits and educational programs on a number of topics, including the passenger steamers whose owners were among the large number of locals active in the Underground Railroad. $6, seniors 62 and children under 12 $5, families $14.
- 46 Path to Freedom Sculpture, Facer Park, 255 E. Water St., Sandusky, ☏ 1 419 624-0274. In the center of a small harborfront park in downtown Sandusky stands this life-size sculpture of an African-American man, woman and child bounding with arms outstretched toward the waterfront and freedom, fashioned symbolically out of 800 ft (240 m) of iron chains.
As an alternative to crossing the lake here, voyagers could continue westward through Toledo to Detroit.
Michigan
Detroit was the last American stop for travellers on this route: directly across the river lies Windsor, Ontario.
- 47 First Living Museum, 33 E. Forest Ave., Detroit, ☏ 1 313 831-4080. Call museum for schedule of tours. The museum housed in the First Congregational Church of Detroit features a 90-minute "Flight to Freedom" reenactment that simulates an escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad: visitors are first shackled with wrist bands, then led to freedom by a "conductor" while hiding from bounty hunters, crossing the Ohio River to seek refuge in Levi Coffin's abolitionist safe house in Indiana, and finally arriving to "Midnight" — the code name for Detroit in Railroad parlance. $15, youth and seniors $12.
- 48 Mariners' Church, 170 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, ☏ 1 313 259-2206. Services Su 8:30AM & 11AM. An 1849 limestone church known primarily for serving Great Lakes sailors and memorializing crew lost at sea. In 1955, while moving the church to make room for a new civic center, workers discovered an Underground Railroad tunnel under the building.
If Detroit was "Midnight" on the Underground Railroad, Windsor was "Dawn". A literal underground railroad does stretch across the river from Detroit to Windsor, along with another one to the north between Port Huron in Sarnia, but since 2004 the tunnels have served only freight. A ferry crosses here for large trucks only. An underground road tunnel also runs to Windsor, complete with a municipal Tunnel Bus service (C$4/person, one way).
- Gateway to Freedom International Memorial. Historians estimate that as many as 45,000 runaway slaves passed through Detroit-Windsor on the Underground Railroad, and this pair of monuments spanning both sides of the riverfront pays homage to the local citizens who defied the law to provide safety to the fugitives. Sculpted by Ed Dwight, Jr. (the first African-American accepted into the U.S. astronaut training program), the 49 Gateway to Freedom Memorial at Hart Plaza in Detroit depicts eight larger-than-life figures — including George DeBaptiste, an African-American conductor of local prominence — gazing toward the promised land of Canada. On the Windsor side, at the Civic Esplanade, the 50 Tower of Freedom depicts four more bronze figures with arms upraised in relief, backed by a 20 ft (6.1 m) marble monolith.
There is a safehouse 35 mi (56 km) north of Detroit (on the U.S. side) in Washington Township:
- 51 Loren Andrus Octagon House, 57500 Van Dyke Ave., Washington Township, ☏ 1 586 781-0084. 1-4PM on 3rd Sunday of month (Mar-Oct) or by appointment. Erected in 1860, the historic home of canal and railroad surveyor Loren Andrus served as a community meeting place and station during the latter days of the Underground Railroad, its architecture capturing attention with its unusual symmetry and serving as a metaphor for a community that bridges yesterday and tomorrow. One-hour guided tours lead through the house's restored interior and include exhibits relevant to its history. $5.
Ontario
The most period-appropriate way to replicate the crossing into Canada used to be the Bluewater Ferry across the St. Clair River between Marine City, Michigan and Sombra, Ontario. The ferry no longer operates. Instead, cross from Detroit to Windsor via the Ambassador Bridge or the aforementioned tunnel, or else detour north to the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia.
- 52 Sandwich First Baptist Church, 3652 Peter St., Windsor, ☏ 1 519-252-4917. Services Su 11AM, tours by appointment. The oldest existing majority-Black church in Canada, erected in 1847 by early Underground Railroad refugees, Sandwich First Baptist was often the first Canadian stop for escapees after crossing the river from Detroit: a series of hidden tunnels and passageways led from the riverbank to the church to keep folks away from the prying eyes of slave catchers, the more daring of whom would cross the border in violation of Canadian law in pursuit of escaped slaves. Modern-day visitors can still see the trapdoor in the floor of the church.
- 1 Emancipation Day Celebration, Lanspeary Park, Windsor. Held annually on the first Saturday and Sunday in August from 2-10PM, "The Greatest Freedom Show on Earth" commemorates the Emancipation Act of 1833, which abolished slavery in Canada as well as throughout the British Empire. Live music, yummy food, and family-friendly entertainment abound. Admission free, "entertainment area" with live music $5 per person/$20 per family.
Amherstburg, just south of Windsor, was also a destination for runaway slaves.
- 53 Amherstburg Freedom Museum, 277 King St., Amherstburg, ☏ 1 519-736-5433, brez cestnin: 1-800-713-6336. Tu-F noon-5PM, Sa Su 1-5PM. Telling the story of the African-Canadian experience in Essex County is not only the museum itself, with a wealth of historic artifacts and educational exhibits, but also the Taylor Log Cabin, the home of an early black resident restored to its mid-19th century appearance, and also the Nazrey AME Church, a National Historic Site of Canada. A wealth of events takes place in the onsite cultural centre. Adult $7.50, seniors & students $6.50.
- 54 John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum, 859 Puce Rd., Lakeshore (29 km/18 miles east of downtown Windsor via Highway 401), ☏ 1 519-727-6555, faks: 1 519-727-5793. Tu-Sa 10:30AM-3PM in summer, by appointment other times. Historical museum situated in the 1846 log-cabin home of John Freeman Walls, a fugitive slave from Severna Karolina turned Underground Railroad stationmaster and pillar of the small community of Puce, Ontario (now part of the Town of Lakeshore). Dr. Bryan Walls, the museum's curator and a descendant of the owner, wrote a book entitled The Road that Leads to Somewhere detailing the history of his family and others in the community.
Following the signed African-Canadian Heritage Tour eastward from Windsor, you soon come to the so-called "Black Mecca" of Chatham, which after the Underground Railroad began quickly became — and to a certain extent remains — a bustling centre of African-Canadian life.
- 55 Chatham-Kent Museum, 75 William St. N., Chatham, ☏ 1 519-360-1998. W-F 1-7PM, Sa Su 11AM-4PM. One of the highlights of the collection at this all-purpose local history museum are some of the personal effects of American abolitionist John Brown, whose failed 1859 raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia was contemporaneous with the height of the Underground Railroad era and stoked tensions on both sides of the slavery divide in the runup to the Civil War.
- 56 Black Mecca Museum, 177 King St. E., Chatham, ☏ 1 519-352-3565. M-F 10AM-3PM, till 4PM Jul-Aug. Researchers, take note: the Black Mecca Museum was founded as a home for the expansive archives of the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society detailing Chatham's rich African-Canadian history. If that doesn't sound like your thing, there are also engaging exhibits of historic artifacts, as well as guided walking tours (call to schedule) that take in points of interest relevant to local black history. Self-guided tours free, guided tours $6.
- 57 Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, 29251 Uncle Tom's Rd., Dresden (27 km/17 miles north of Chatham via County Roads 2 and 28), ☏ 1 519-683-2978. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM, May 19-Oct 27; also Mon 10AM-4PM Jul-Aug; Oct 28-May 18 by appointment. This sprawling open-air museum complex is centred on the restored home of Josiah Henson, a former slave turned author, abolitionist, and minister whose autobiography was the inspiration for the title character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Kabina strica Toma. But that's not the end of the story: a restored sawmill, smokehouse, the circa-1850 Pioneer Church, and the Henson family cemetery are just some of the authentic period buildings preserved from the Dawn Settlement of former slaves. Historical artifacts, educational exhibits, multimedia presentations, and special events abound.
- 58 Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, 21975 A.D. Shadd Rd., North Buxton (16 km/10 miles south of Chatham via County Roads 2, 27, and 14), ☏ 1 519-352-4799, faks: 1 519-352-8561. Daily 10AM-4:30PM, Jul-Aug; W-Su 1PM-4:30PM, May & Sep; M-F 1PM-4:30PM, Oct-Apr. The Elgin Settlement was a haven for fugitive slaves and free blacks founded in 1849, and this museum complex — along with the annual Buxton Homecoming cultural festival in September — pays homage to the community that planted its roots here. In addition to the main museum building (containing historical exhibits) are authentic restored buildings from the former settlement: a log cabin, a barn, and a schoolhouse. $6, seniors and students $5, families $20.
Across the Land of Lincoln
Though Illinois was de jure a free state, Southern cultural influence and sympathy for the institution of slavery was very strong in its southernmost reaches (even to this day, the local culture in Kairo and other far-downstate communities bears more resemblance to the Mississippi Delta kot Chicago). Thus, the fate of fugitive slaves passing through Illinois was variable: near the borders of Missouri and Kentucky the danger of being abducted and forcibly transported back to slavery was very high, while those who made it further north would notice a marked decrease in the local tolerance for slave catchers.
The Reka Mississippi was a popular Underground Railroad route in this part of the country; a voyager travelling north from Memphis would pass between the slave-holding states of Missouri and Kentucky to arrive 175 mi (282 km) later at Cairo, a fork in the river. From there, the Mississippi continued northward through St. Louis while the Ohio River ran along the Ohio-Kentucky border to Cincinnati and beyond.
- 59 Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum, 826 N. Second St., Memphis, Tennessee, ☏ 1 901 527-7711. Daily 10AM-4PM, till 5PM Jun-Aug. Built in 1849 by Jacob Burkle, a livestock trader and baker originally from Nemčija, this modest yet handsome house was long suspected to be a waypoint for Underground Railroad fugitives boarding Mississippi river boats. Now a museum, the house has been restored with period furnishings and contains interpretive exhibits. Make sure to go down into the basement, where the trap doors, tunnels and passages used to hide escaped slaves have been preserved. A three-hour historical sightseeing tour of thirty local sites is also offered for $45. $12.
Placing fugitives onto vessels on the Mississippi was a monumental risk that figured prominently in the literature of the era. There was even a "Reverse Underground Railroad" used by antebellum slave catchers to kidnap free blacks and fugitives from free states to sell them back into slavery.
Because of its location on the Mississippi River, St. Louis was directly on the boundary between slaveholding Missouri and abolitionist Illinois.
- 2 Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing, 28 E Grand Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, ☏ 1 314 584-6703. The Rev. John Berry Meachum of St. Louis' First African Baptist Church arrived in St. Louis in 1815 after purchasing his freedom from slavery. Ordered to stop holding classes in his church under an 1847 Missouri law prohibiting education of people of color, he instead circumvented the restriction by teaching on a Mississippi riverboat. His widow Mary Meachum was arrested early in the morning of May 21, 1855 with a small group of runaway slaves and their guides who were attempting to cross the Mississippi River to freedom. These events are commemorated each May with a historical reenactment of the attempted crossing by actors in period costume, along with poetry, music, dance, and dramatic performances. Even if you're not in town for the festival, you can still stop by the rest area alongside the St. Louis Riverfront Trail and take in the colorful wall mural and historic plaques.
Author Mark Twain, whose iconic novel Pustolovščine Huckleberryja Finna (1884) describes a freedom-seeking Mississippi voyage downriver to New Orleans, grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, a short distance upriver from St. Louis. Hannibal, in turn, is not far from Quincy, Illinois, where freedom seekers would often attempt to cross the Mississippi directly.
- 60 Dr. Richard Eells House, 415 Jersey St., Quincy, ☏ 1 217 223-1800. Sa 1PM-4PM, group tours by appointment. Connecticut-born Dr. Eells was active in the abolitionist movement and is credited with helping several hundred slaves flee from Missouri. In 1842, while providing aid to a fugitive swimming the river, Dr. Eells was spotted by a posse of slave hunters. Eells escaped, but was later arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive slave. His case (with a $400 fine) was unsuccessfully appealed as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, with the final appeal made by his estate after his demise. His 1835 Greek Revival-style house, four blocks from the Mississippi, has been restored to its original appearance and contains museum exhibits regarding the Eells case in particular and the Underground Railroad in general. $3.
70 mi (110 km) east of Quincy is Jacksonville, once a major crossroads of at least three different Underground Railroad routes, many of which carried passengers fleeing from St. Louis. Several of the former stations still stand. The Morgan County Historical Society teče a Sunday afternoon bus tour twice annually (spring and fall) from Illinois College to Woodlawn Farm with guides in period costume.
- 61 Beecher Hall, Illinois College, 1101 W. College Ave., Jacksonville, ☏ 1 217 245-3000. Founded in 1829, Illinois College was the first institution of postsecondary education in the state, and it quickly became a nexus of the local abolitionist community. The original building was renamed Beecher Hall in honor of the college's first president, Edward Beecher, brother of Kabina strica Toma author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Tours of the campus are offered during the summer months (see Spletna stran for schedule); while geared toward prospective students, they're open to all and offer an introduction to the history of the college.
- 62 Woodlawn Farm, 1463 Gierkie Ln., Jacksonville, ☏ 1 217 243-5938, ✉[email protected]. W & Sa-Su 1PM-4PM, late May-late Sep, or by appointment. Pioneer settler Michael Huffaker built this handsome Greek Revival farmhouse circa 1840, and according to local tradition hid fugitive slaves there during the Underground Railroad era by disguising them as resident farmhands. Nowadays it's a living history museum where docents in period attire give guided tours of the restored interior, furnished with authentic antiques and family heirlooms. $4 suggested donation.
50 mi (80 km) further east is the state capital of 63 Springfield, the longtime home and final resting place of Abraham Lincoln. During the time of the Underground Railroad, he was a local attorney and rising star in the fledgling Republican Party who was most famous as Congressman Stephen Douglas' sparring partner in an 1858 statewide debate tour where slavery and other matters were discussed. However, Lincoln was soon catapulted from relative obscurity onto the national stage with his win in the 1860 Presidential election, going on to shepherd the nation through the Civil War and issue the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves once and for all.
From Springfield, one could turn north through Bloomington and Princeton to Chicago, or continue east through Indiana to Ohio or Michigan.
- 64 Owen Lovejoy Homestead, 905 E. Peru St., Princeton (21 miles/34 km west of Peru via US 6 or I-80), ☏ 1 815 879-9151. F-Sa 1PM-4PM, May-Sep or by appointment. The Rev. Owen Lovejoy (1811-1864) was one of the most prominent abolitionists in the state of Illinois and, along with Lincoln, a founding father of the Republican Party, not to mention the brother of newspaper editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy, whose anti-slavery writings in the Alton Opazovalec led to his 1837 lynching. It was more or less an open secret around Princeton that his modest farmhouse on the outskirts of town was a station on the so-called "Liberty Line" of the Underground Railroad. The house is now a city-owned museum restored to its period appearance (including the "hidey-holes" where fugitive slaves were concealed) and opened to tours in season. Onsite also is a one-room schoolhouse with exhibits that further delve into the pioneer history of the area.
- 65 Graue Mill and Museum, 3800 York Rd., Oak Brook, ☏ 1 630 655-2090. Tu-Su 10AM-4:30PM, mid Apr-mid Nov. German immigrant Frederick Graue housed fugitive slaves in the basement of his gristmill on Salt Creek, which was a favorite stopover for future President Abraham Lincoln during his travels across the state. Today, the building has been restored to its period appearance and functions as a museum where, among other exhibits, "Graue Mill and the Road to Freedom" elucidates the role played by the mill and the surrounding community in the Underground Railroad. $4.50, children 4-12 $2.
From Chicago (or points across the Wisconsin border such as Racine ali Milwaukee), travel onward would be by water across the Great Lakes.
Into the Maritime Provinces
Another route, less used but still significant, led from New England through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia, mainly from Boston to Halifax. Though the modern-day Pomorske province did not become part of Canada until 1867, they were within the British Empire, and thus slavery was illegal there too.
One possible route (following the coast from Philadelphia through Boston to Halifax) would be to head north through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts in Maine to reach New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
- 2 Wedgwood Inn, 111 W. Bridge St., New Hope, Pennsylvania, ☏ 1 215 862-2570. Nahaja se v Bucks County some 40 mi (64 km) northeast of Philadelphia, New Hope is a town whose importance on the Underground Railroad came thanks to its ferry across the Delaware River, which escaped slaves would use to pass into New Jersey on their northward journey — and this Victorian bed and breakfast was one of the stations where they'd spend the night beforehand. Of course, modern-day travellers sleep in one of eight quaintly-decorated guest rooms, but if you like, your hosts will show you the trapdoor that leads to the subterranean tunnel system where slaves once hid. Standard rooms with fireplace $120-250/night, Jacuzzi suites $200-350/night.
With its densely wooded landscape, abundant population of Quaker abolitionists, and regularly spaced towns, South Jersey was a popular east-coast Underground Railroad stopover. Swedesboro, with a sizable admixture of free black settlers to go along with the Quakers, was a particular hub.
- 66 Mount Zion AME Church, 172 Garwin Rd., Woolwich Township, New Jersey (1.5 miles/2.4 km northeast of Swedesboro via Kings Hwy.). Services Su 10:30AM. Founded by a congregation of free black settlers and still an active church today, Mount Zion was a reliable safe haven for fugitive slaves making their way from Virginia and Maryland via Philadelphia, providing them with shelter, supplies, and guidance as they continued north. Stop into this handsome 1834 clapboard church and you'll see a trapdoor in the floor of the vestibule leading to a crawl space where slaves hid.
New York City occupied a mixed role in the history of American slavery: while New York was a free state, many in the city's financial community had dealings with the southern states and Tammany Hall, the far-right political machine that effectively controlled the city Democratic Party, was notoriously sympathetic to slaveholding interests. It was a different story in what are now the outer boroughs, which were home to a thriving free black population and many churches and religious groups that held strong abolitionist beliefs.
- 67 [mrtva povezava]227 Abolitionist Place, 227 Duffield St., Brooklyn, New York. In the early 19th Century, Thomas and Harriet Truesdell were among the foremost members of Brooklyn's abolitionist community, and their Duffield Street residence was a station on the Underground Railroad. The house is no longer extant, but residents of the brick rowhouse that stands on the site today discovered the trapdoors and tunnels in the basement in time to prevent the building from being demolished for a massive redevelopment project. The building is now owned by a neighborhood not-for-profit with hopes of turning it into a museum and heritage center focusing on New York City's contribution to abolitionism and the Underground Railroad; in the meantime, it plays host to a range of educational events and programs.
Nova Anglija
- 68 Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 77 Forest St., Hartford, Connecticut, ☏ 1 860 522-9258. The author of the famous antislavery novel Kabina strica Toma lived in this delightful Gothic-style cottage in Hartford (right next door to Mark Twain!) from 1873 until her death in 1896. The house is now a museum that not only preserves its historic interior as it appeared during Stowe's lifetime, but also offers an interactive, "non-traditional museum experience" that allows visitors to really dig deep and discuss the issues that inspired and informed her work, including women's rights, immigration, criminal justice reform, and — of course — abolitionism. There's also a research library covering topics related to 19th-century literature, arts, and social history.
- 69 Greenmanville Historic District, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Stonington, Connecticut (At the Mystic Seaport Museum), ☏ 1 860 572-5315. Vsak dan od 9.00 do 17.00. The Greenman brothers — George, Clark, and Thomas — came in 1837 from Rhode Island to a site at the mouth of the Mystic River where they built a shipyard, and in due time a buzzing industrial village had coalesced around it. Staunch abolitionists, the Greenmans operated a station on the Underground Railroad and supported a local Seventh-Day Baptist church (c. 1851) which denounced slavery and regularly hosted speakers who supported abolitionism and women’s rights. Today, the grounds of the Mystic Seaport Museum include ten of the original buildings of the Greenmanville settlement, including the former textile mill, the church, and the Thomas Greenman House. Exhibits cover the history of the settlement and its importance to the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. Museum admission $28.95, seniors $26.95, children $19.95.
- 70 Pawtuxet Village, med Warwick in Cranston, Rhode Island. This historically preserved neighborhood represents the center of one of the oldest villages in New England, dating back to 1638. Flash forward a couple of centuries and it was a prominent stop on the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves. Walking tours of the village are available.
- 71 [mrtva povezava]Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington St., Newton, Massachusetts, ☏ 1 617 796-1450. W-F 11AM-5PM, Sa-Su 10AM-5PM. This Federal-style farmhouse was built in 1809 as the home of Timothy Jackson, a Revolutionary War veteran, factory owner, state legislator, and abolitionist who operated an Underground Railroad station in it. Deeded to the City of Newton by one of his descendants, it's now a local history museum with exhibits on the local abolitionist community as well as paintings, photographs, historic artifacts, and other curiosities. $6, seniors and children 6-12 $5, students with ID $2.
Boston was a major seaport and an abolitionist stronghold. Some freedom seekers arrived overland, others as stowaways aboard coastal trading vessels from the Južno. The Boston Vigilance Committee (1841-1861), an abolitionist organization founded by the city's free black population to protect their people from abduction into slavery, spread the word when slave catchers came to town. They worked closely with Underground Railroad conductors to provide freedom seekers with transportation, shelter, medical attention and legal counsel. Hundreds of escapees stayed a short time before moving on to Canada, England or other British territories.
The Služba narodnega parka offers a ranger-led 1.6 mi (2.6 km) Pot bostonske črne dediščine tour through Boston's Beacon Hill district, near the Massachusetts State House and Boston Common. Several old houses in this district were stations on the line, but are not open to the public.
A museum is open in a former meeting house and school:
- 72 Museum of African-American History, 46 Joy St., Boston, Massachusetts, ☏ 1 617 725-0022. M-Sa od 10. do 16. ure. The African Meeting House (a church built in 1806) and Abiel Smith School (the nation's oldest public school for black children, founded 1835) have been restored to the 1855 era for use as a museum and event space with exhibit galleries, education programs, caterers' kitchen and museum store.
Once in Boston, most escaped slaves boarded ships headed directly to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. A few crossed Vermont or New Hampshire into Spodnja Kanada, eventually reaching Montreal...
- 73 Rokeby Museum, 4334 US Route 7, Ferrisburgh, Vermont (11 miles/18 km south of Shelburne), ☏ 1 802 877-3406. 10AM-5PM, mid-May to late Oct; house only open by scheduled guided tour. Rowland T. Robinson, a Quaker and ardent abolitionist, openly sheltered escaped slaves on his family's sheep farm in the quiet town of Ferrisburgh. Now a museum complex, visitors can tour nine historic farm buildings furnished in period style and full of interpretive exhibits covering Vermont's contribution to the Underground Railroad effort, or walk a network of hiking trails that cover more than 50 acres (20 ha) of the property. $10, seniors $9, students $8.
...while others continued to follow the coastal routes overland into Maine.
- 74 Abyssinian Meeting House, 75 Newbury St., Portland, Maine, ☏ 1 207 828-4995. Maine's oldest African-American church was erected in 1831 by a community of free blacks and headed up for many years by Reverend Amos Noé Freeman (1810-93), a known Underground Railroad agent who hosted and organized anti-slavery speakers, Negro conventions, and testimonies from runaway slaves. But by 1998, when the building was purchased from the city by a consortium of community leaders, it had fallen into disrepair. The Committee to Restore the Abyssinian plans to convert the former church to a museum dedicated to tracing the story of Maine's African-American community, and also hosts a variety of events, classes, and performances at a variety of venues around Portland.
- 75 Chamberlain Freedom Park, Corner of State and N. Main Sts., Brewer, Maine (Directly across the river from Bangor via the State Street bridge). In his day, John Holyoke — shipping magnate, factory owner, abolitionist — was one of the wealthiest citizens in the city of Brewer, Maine. When his former home was demolished in 1995 as part of a road widening project, a hand-stitched "slave-style shirt" was found tucked in the eaves of the attic along with a stone-lined tunnel in the basement leading to the bank of the Penobscot River, finally confirming the local rumors that claimed he was an Underground Railroad stationmaster. Today, there's a small park on the site, the only official Underground Railroad memorial in the state of Maine, that's centered on a statue entitled North to Freedom: a sculpted figure of an escaped slave hoisting himself out of the preserved tunnel entrance. Nearby is a statue of local Civil War hero Col. Joshua Chamberlain, for whom the park is named.
- 76 Maple Grove Friends Church, Route 1A near Up Country Rd., Fort Fairfield, Maine (9 miles/14.5 km east of Presque Isle via Route 163). 2 mi (3.2 km) from the border, this historic Quaker church was the last stop for many escaped slaves headed for freedom in New Brunswick, where a few African-Canadian communities had gathered in the Dolina reke Saint John. Historical renovations in 1995 revealed a hiding place concealed beneath a raised platform in the main meeting room. The building was rededicated as a house of worship in 2000 and still holds occasional services.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Once across the border, a few black families settled in places like Upper Kent along the Saint John River in New Brunswick. Many more continued onward to Nova Scotia, then a separate British colony but now part of Canada's Maritime Provinces.
- 3 Tomlinson Lake Hike to Freedom, Glenburn Rd., Carlingford, New Brunswick (7.2 km/4.5 miles west of Perth-Andover via Route 190). first Sa in Oct. After successfully crossing the border into New Brunswick, the first order of business for many escaped slaves on this route was to seek out the home of Sgt. William Tomlinson, a British-born lumberjack and farmer who was well known for welcoming slaves who came through this area. Every year, the fugitives' cross-border trek to Tomlinson Lake is retraced with a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) family-friendly, all-ages-and-skill-levels "hike to freedom" in the midst of the beautiful autumn foliage the region boasts. Gather at the well-signed trailhead on Glenburn Road, and at the end of the line you can sit down to a hearty traditional meal, peruse the exhibits at an Underground Railroad pop-up museum, or do some more hiking on a series of nature trails around the lake. There's even a contest for the best 1850s-period costumes. prost.
- 77 King's Landing, 5804 Route 102, Prince William, New Brunswick (40 km/25 miles west of downtown Fredericton prek Transkanadska avtocesta), ☏ 1 506 363-4999. Daily 10AM-5PM, early June-mid Oct. Set up as a pioneer village, this living-history museum is devoted primarily to United Empire Loyalist communities in 19th century New Brunswick. However, one building, the Gordon House, is a replica of a house built by manumitted slave James Gordon in nearby Fredericton and contains exhibits relative to the Underground Railroad and the African-Canadian experience, including old runaway slave ads and quilts containing secret messages for fugitives. Onsite also is a restaurant, pub and Peddler's Market. $18, seniors $16, youth (6-15) $12.40.
Halifax, the final destination of most fugitive slaves passing out of Boston, still has a substantial mostly-black district populated by descendants of Underground Railroad passengers.
- 78 Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, 10 Cherry Brook Rd., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (20 km/12 miles east of downtown Halifax via Highway 111 and Trunk 7), ☏ 1 902-434-6223, brez cestnin: 1-800-465-0767, faks: 1 902-434-2306. M-F 10AM-4PM, also Sa noon-3PM Jun-Sep. Situated in the midst of one of Metro Halifax's largest African-Canadian neighbourhoods, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia is a museum and cultural centre that traces the history of the Black Nova Scotian community not only during the Underground Railroad era, but before (exhibits tell the story of Black Loyalist settlers and locally-held slaves prior to the Emancipation Act of 1833) and afterward (the African-Canadian contribution to Prva svetovna vojna and the destruction of Africville) as well. $6.
- 79 Africville Museum, 5795 Africville Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, ☏ 1 902-455-6558, faks: 1 902-455-6461. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. Africville was an African-Canadian neighbourhood that stood on the shores of Bedford Basin from the 1860s; it was condemned and destroyed a century later for bridge and industrial development. Ta muzej, ki se nahaja na vzhodni strani spominskega parka Seaview v kopiji Afrikovičeve Združene baptistične cerkve Seaview, je bil ustanovljen kot del zapoznelega opravičila in restitucije mestne vlade Halifaxovi črni skupnosti in svojo zgodbo pripoveduje skozi zgodovinske artefakte, fotografije in interpretativni prikazi, ki obiskovalca navdihujejo, da razmisli o jedkih učinkih rasizma na družbo in prepozna moč, ki jo prinaša raznolikost. Vsako julij v parku poteka "Africville Reunion". 5,75 USD, študentje in upokojenci 4,75 USD, otroci do 5 let brezplačno.
Ostani varen
Potem
Ko je kongres leta 1850 sprejel zakon o begunskih sužnjah, so bili sužnji, ki so pobegnili v severne zvezne države, v neposredni nevarnosti, da bodo prisilno ugrabljeni in vrnjeni v južno suženjstvo. Lovci sužnjev z juga so odkrito delovali v severnih zveznih državah, kjer je njihova brutalnost domačine hitro odtujila. Prav tako se je bilo najbolje skrbno izogibati zveznim uradnikom, saj je bil takrat vpliv lastnikov nasadov s takrat bolj obljudenega juga v Washingtonu močan.
Sužnji so morali torej podnevi ležati nizko - skrivati se, spati ali se pretvarjati, da delajo za lokalne mojstre - in se ponoči seliti proti severu. Bolj severno, tiste zimske noči so postajale daljše in hladnejše. Nevarnost srečanja z ameriškimi zveznimi maršali bi se končala po prestopu kanadske meje, vendar bi morali potniki podzemne železnice ostati v Kanadi (in paziti na lovce sužnjev, ki kršijo mejo v nasprotju s kanadsko zakonodajo) do suženjstva se je končala z ameriško državljansko vojno v šestdesetih letih 20. stoletja.
Tudi po koncu suženjstva se bodo rasni boji nadaljevali vsaj še eno stoletje in "potovanje v črni barvi" je še naprej predstavljalo nekaj nevarnega. The Zelena knjiga črnskega avtomobilista, v katerem so bila navedena podjetja, varna za afriško-ameriške popotnike (nominalno) po vsej državi, bi ostala v tisku v New Yorku med leti 1936 in 1966; kljub temu v več kot nekaj "zahodnih mestih" ni bilo nikogar, kjer bi popotnik v barvah prenočil.
Zdaj
Danes lovilcev sužnjev ni več in zvezne oblasti se zdaj upirajo različnim oblikam rasne segregacije v meddržavni trgovini. Čeprav na tem potovanju ostaja priporočljiva običajna mera previdnosti, je glavno moderno tveganje kriminal med potovanjem po večjih mestih, ne pa suženjstvo ali ločevanje.
Pojdi naprej
Potem
Le majhna manjšina uspešnih pobeglih je ostala v Kanadi na dolgi rok. Kljub temu, da je bilo suženjstvo tam nezakonito, sta bila rasizem in nativizem enako velik problem kot kjer koli drugje. Ko je čas odmikal in se je vse več ubežanih sužnjev prelivalo čez mejo, so začeli izrabljati svojo dobrodošlico med belimi Kanadčani. Begunci so običajno prihajali samo z oblačili na hrbtu, nepripravljeni na ostre kanadske zime in živeli ubogo, izolirani od svojih novih sosedov. Sčasoma so nekateri Afriško-Kanadčani napredovali v kmetovanju ali poslu in na koncu ostali v svojem novem domu, toda ob izbruhu ameriške državljanske vojne leta 1861 je veliko nekdanjih ubežnikov preskočilo priložnost, da se pridružijo vojski Unije in igrajo svojo vlogo. pri osvoboditvi rojakov, ki so jih pustili za seboj na jugu. Tudi Harriet Tubman je sama zapustila svoj dom v St. Catharinesu, da bi se prijavila za kuharico, medicinko in tabornico. Drugi so se preprosto odpravili nazaj v ZDA, ker jim je bilo hudo zaradi življenja v neznanem kraju, daleč od svojih prijateljev in najdražjih.
Zdaj
- Konec linije Ohio sovpada z začetkom črte Ohio Hodnik Windsor-Quebec, najbolj naseljeno in močno urbanizirano območje Kanade. Pojdite proti vzhodu po avtocesti 401 proti veličastnemu Niagarski slapovi, svetovljan Toronto, ljubka Tisoč otokovin francosko aromatizirano Montreal in Quebec City.
- Če ste šli na vzhodno obalo, vam ne bi bilo treba raziskovati Atlantske province, kjer je opazovanje kitov, čudovita obmorska pokrajina, okusna morska hrana in keltski kulturni vplivi.
Poglej tudi
- Atlantska trgovina s sužnji - zahrbten postopek, s katerim so sužnji prišli Afriko do Severna Amerika na prvem mestu
- Zgodnja zgodovina ZDA - zapletena saga, katere vprašanje suženjstva je bila samo ena nit