Erie Canalway - Things to Do - Underground Railroad

Kids with statue of Frederick Douglas, courtesy of AKWAABA

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things to do: Underground Railroad
The story of the Underground Railroad (UGRR) is intimately tied to New York's canals. Throughout the National Heritage Corridor, you'll discover travel routes, hiding places, safe houses, and destinations for African Americans escaping from slavery in the 1800s.

Find sites in the canal corridor >

New UGRR Tourism Initiative
Congressman Paul Tonko joined officials from the National Park Service; Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor; I LOVE NEW YORK; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and others in Albany on Aug. 24 to announce a joint tourism initiative that aims to increase visitation to upstate New York by highlighting historic sites, museums, and tours dedicated to interpreting the story of the Underground Railroad (UGRR). press release >

Network to Freedom
When it opened in 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Atlantic Seaboard with the interior of the continent via the Great Lakes, opening the country to settlement and development like never before. New York’s canals transformed transportation, economic development, and communication across New York and throughout the U.S.

In addition to shipping goods, New York’s canals transported people and ideas. The significant mixing of people from all over the world lead to rapid cultural evolution and the development of key national reform movements. It is no accident that many canal communities became hotspots for the abolition of slavery or that the first women’s rights convention happened in the canal village of Seneca Falls.

Many African Americans used the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals as routes for escaping from slavery. For some, the canals became pathways to freedom in Canada. Other African Americans settled in canal towns. Many European Americans kept safe houses near the canals to assist people who escaped from slavery on the Underground Railroad.

Underground Railroad Sites
Explore these sites to learn more about the fascinating history of how the Erie Canal fostered one of the most controversial movements of its day. Sites are listed by region, east to west.

champlain canal

Old Fort House Museum, Fort Edward
Museum and Research Site focused on the story of Solomon Northrup and local history. visit site >>

Steel Away to Freedom, Greenwhich Sites and resources for UGRR in Washington Co. visit site >>

mohawk-hudson valleys
New York State Museum, Albany Premier museum includes exhibit on African American burial ground in New York. visit site >>

Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, Albany Historic Home, UGRR Site, Local Tours visit site >>

Underground Railroad History Tour, Albany
As the Eastern terminus of the Erie Canal, Albany became an important transit point for people seeking freedom along the canal. 90-minute walking tour provided by the UGRR History Project of the Capital Region. VISIT SITE>>

Vale Cemetery, Schenectady
Burial site of anti-slavery activists
visit site >>

Mabee Farm, Rotterdam Junction
The oldest standing home in the Mohawk Valley includes the house of the Mabee family slaves. visit site >>

Central new york
Matilda Joslyn Gage Home, Fayetteville
Home of women's rights and anti-slavery activist Matilda Joslin Gage. Station on UGRR. Museam and research center feature history of social justice, Gage's work on women's rights, UGRR, and more. visit site >>

Gerrit Smith Estate, Peterboro* National Historic Landmark: UGRR Safe House, Abolitionists's Home, Visitor Center and Self Guided Tours. visit site >>

Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse
UGRR exhibit and local history.
visit site >>

oswego canal
Bristol Hill Congregational United Church of Christ, Oswego
Site of anti slavery meetings; African American burial ground. visit site >>

Oswego Library, Oswego
In 1853, Gerrit Smith, abolitionist, prohibitionist, temperance advocate, and businessman, donated funds to establish the Oswego City Library. The library’s charter guaranteed equal access regardless of race or gender.
visit site >>

Starr Clark Tinshop, Mexico* The shop served as a safe house and played a part in the famous "Jerry" rescue in 1851. Open by appointment only, call 315-963-7898.

cayuga-seneca canal
M'Clintock House, Seneca Falls
Site where the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted and an UGRR safe house. visit site >>

Seward Home, Auburn*
Historic Home of the Seward Family, abolitionists and friends with Harriet Tubman. visit site >>

Harriet Tubman Home, Auburn*
Historic home preserves the legacy of "The Moses of Her People" in the place where she lived and died in freedom. visit site >>

western erie
Akwaaba, Rochester
First person narrated tours of Freedom Seekers & Abolitionists. National Park Passport Site. visit site >>

Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester
Museum includes UGRR Exhibit.
visit site >>

Michigan Street Baptist Church, Buffalo
African American place of worship and UGRR Safe House. visit site >>

John W. Jones Museum, Elmira*
Commemorates the life and work of the former slave John W. Jones, who as an Underground Railroad Station Master, safely assisted nearly 800 slaves flight to Canada. Limited hours, call (607) 733-6162. visit site >>

* Denotes sites that are just beyond National Heritage Corridor boundaries.

Additional sites and programs will be added as the program further develops.



	The Erie Canalway's Underground Railroad Program earned National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom designation from the National Park Service in 2011. This is the gold standard for museums, programs and resources related to the interpretation and promotion of the Underground Railroad.

	Links
	Learn More about the canal and its influence on social movements. download a report [pdf] on the history of the Erie Canal and the Underground Railroad. Freedom Trail of Auburn and Cayuga County, NY Visit Site >> I Love New York Underground Railroad visit site >> National Underground Railroad: Network to Freedom Visit Site >> Research on the UGRR in Oswego County visit site >>