Exploration on the Underground Railroad
Uncovering our history, together.
“We cannot forget you, brethren, for we know your sufferings and we know your sufferings because we know from experience, what it is to be an American slave. So galling was our bondage, that, to escape from it, we suffered the loss of all things, and braved every peril, and endured every hardship.”
—From “A Letter to the American Slaves from those who have fled from American Slavery.” Written at the meeting of fugitives from slavery and their friends held in Cazenovia, New York on August 21 and 22, 1850. Published in The North Star, September 5, 1850 and in the National Anti-Slavery Standard, September 5, 1850.
Explore these incredible resources
These links invite you to explore local projects on the underground railroad in central and western New York and on the courageous individuals and communities that contributed to this historical humanitarian effort.
The projects featured here provide information about documented underground railroad activities in our region, tell us about the small Black communities that settled here to escape slavery after New York state outlawed it in 1827, and inform us about those ordinary people who braved assisting freedom seekers at great personal risk to themselves and their families.
Voices on the Underground Railroad
The St. James AME Zion Church 3D Virtual Tour
The St. James AME Zion Church Community Excavations
Tompkins County Rural Black Residents Project
Rural Humanities Initiative at Cornell
William Simms Interactive Map
Test your knowledge of the Underground Railroad
We’ll give you 6 multiple choice and true/false questions from our quiz bank. After each question you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Underground Railroad.
Reach out to our researchers
Use this Hub as a point of entry for research leads on underground railroad activities in Ithaca, Tompkins county, and central New York.