In the early 1800s, Quaker abolitionist Isaac T. Hopper set up a network in Philadelphia that helped enslaved people on the run.
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The Underground Railroad started at the place of enslavement. The routes followed natural and man-made modes of transportation - rivers, canals, bays, the Atlantic Coast, ferries and river crossings, road and trails. Locations close to ports, free territories and international boundaries prompted many escapes.
The world's first underground railway opened in London in 1863, as a way of reducing street congestion. Here is a very short history of the Underground.
Because it was dangerous to be in free states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, or even Massachusetts after 1850, most people hoping to escape traveled all the way to Canada. So, you could say that the Underground Railroad went from the American south to Canada.
Before the Civil War, Jersey City was the last stop on the New Jersey Underground Railroad route for many runaway slaves seeking freedom. The quest for freedom prompted an estimated 100,000 19th century black slaves to make the dangerous journey along the Underground Railroad.
In the 1700 and 1800s, major rivers were known as Freedom Roads, and if you explore the Roanoke River in Halifax County, you'll find pieces of the Underground Railroad's history still standing today.
For the fugitive slaves who rode the Underground Railroad, many of them considered Canada their final destination. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 of them settled in Canada, half of whom came between 1850 and 1860.
The Metropolitan line is the oldest underground railway in the world. The Metropolitan Railway opened in January 1863 and was an immediate success, though its construction took nearly two years and caused huge disruption in the streets.
Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, safely escorts escaped enslaved people to freedom in Canada. Contrary to popular belief, the Underground Railroad was not a series of underground tunnels!
The Quakers are considered the first organized group to actively help escaped enslaved people. George Washington complained in 1786 that Quakers had attempted to “liberate” one of his enslaved workers.
Some runaways sought a brief respite from slavery or simply wanted to reach family and friends. Other fugitives settled in southern towns and cities, often with forged free papers. The majority of slaves attempting to escape from the South went to the North and many continued to Canada.
While most of the buildings in the Village of Mt. Pleasant Historic District are private, the Mt.Pleasant Historical Society offers Underground Railroad walking tours which include tours of several houses within the district.
The Underground Railroad was secret. Nothing was written down about where to go or who would help. So once enslaved people decided to make the journey to freedom, they had to listen for tips from other enslaved people, who might have heard tips from other enslaved people.
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway recounts the life story of Harriet Tubman – freedom seeker, Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist, suffragist, human rights activist, and one of Maryland's most famous daughters.
Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's conductors. During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.
The “railroad” is thought to have helped as many as 70,000 individuals (though estimations vary from 40,000 to 100,000) escape from slavery in the years between 1800 and 1865.