National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom commemorates the stories of freedom seekers
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In 1830, Asbury Parker was born into slavery on the Richard Brown plantation in Cabell County, Virginia. Situated along ...
06/11/2026

In 1830, Asbury Parker was born into slavery on the Richard Brown plantation in Cabell County, Virginia. Situated along the Ohio River in what is now downtown Huntington, West Virginia, Parker’s birthplace would ultimately become his gateway to freedom.

The experiences of Parker’s early life left an indelible mark on his mind and soul. According to William Siebert, who later interviewed him, “it was in him to be a free man from the time he was a boy thirteen years old.”

In late April 1857, Parker finally made his move. Escaping was an incredibly risky venture, made even more perilous by the strict penalties of the Fugitive Slave Act. Traveling most likely under the cover of night to avoid detection, Parker fled from Clinton Furnace in Eastern Kentucky’s iron-furnace district and made his way back to the place of his birth near the Ohio River, the site of modern-day Huntington, to begin his journey north.

Image 1: The home of Asbury Parker’s Original Enslaver. Black-and-white historic photograph depicts a family and their livestock posing on a dirt path in front of a large, two-story brick house with an attached single-story wing and a decorative wooden porch.

The African Underground Railroad Community at Brownsville was settled by a formerly enslaved man named William “Batavia”...
06/09/2026

The African Underground Railroad Community at Brownsville was settled by a formerly enslaved man named William “Batavia” Brown in the 1820’s. Brownsville became an important station on the Underground Railroad route running along the western side of South Mountain.

It offered refuge from slave catchers who were active in southern Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Underground Railroad conductors Matthew Dobbin and Hiram Wertz would es**rt freedom seekers from the Wertz farm in Quincy, Pennsylvania, via Mont Alto and Pond Bank, to Africa / Brownsville.

At Brownsville, freedom seekers found a community of formerly enslaved individuals and their families who provided them with protection and solace before they continued their journeys to other Underground Railroad stations.

Image 1: A single-story white house with a grey roof sits at the top of a sloping green hill, where a small cemetery with scattered headstones and American flags is visible in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky. Brownsville Church of God Cemetery and Old Brownsville Church of God Building (Facing West)

William Grimes’s burial site at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, is nominated as the final resting place...
05/29/2026

William Grimes’s burial site at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, is nominated as the final resting place of one of the earliest documented freedom seekers whose published testimony adds to the ideological groundwork for the movement later known as the Underground Railroad.

Born enslaved in King George County, Virginia, Grimes was sold away from the arms of his grieving mother, further south to Savannah, Georgia. He grew up defiant, resisting the culture of enslavement whenever possible, ultimately escaping around 1815 from his tenth and final enslaver. Grimes’ opportunity arose while his enslaver was on vacation and allowed Grimes to seek work elsewhere as long as he paid him three dollars per week.

During this time, a ship from Boston arrived in port needing to be loaded, and Grimes quickly befriended the Northern sailors, who encouraged him to escape on board by hiding in a secret space nestled within the deck's cotton bales. The night before the ship sailed, Grimes cleverly evaded guards by having a free Black crew member walk behind him as a servant while they gathered provisions. This account is particularly remarkable because Grimes, who was light-skinned, successfully subverted the racial hierarchy by reversing roles with the sailor to outwit the city's patrols.

The escape embodies the solidarity, deception and courage that later defined the Underground Railroad. While no safe houses from his journey are documented, his grave is the only known physical evidence of his life and legacy as an early freedom seeker.

Image: A close-up shot of a weathered marble gravestone with faded, weathered text, set against a background of green foliage and a brick wall

Naper Settlement, an award-winning outdoor history museum in Illinois, leverages its 13-acre campus and 34 historic stru...
05/28/2026

Naper Settlement, an award-winning outdoor history museum in Illinois, leverages its 13-acre campus and 34 historic structures to offer extensive educational programming. Among its digital offerings is a dynamic online field trip, “Voices of the Past: The Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois,” designed to engage students and teachers.

This interactive program casts students as newspaper apprentices investigating the period leading up to the Civil War, allowing them to explore multiple perspectives on resistance to enslavement through primary sources, 3D videos and documented personal accounts. By immersing participants in the history of the Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois, Naper Settlement expands the historical context of this pivotal era.

Image: A modern, bright red barn-style building with a metallic roof and large glass facade stands prominently behind a perfectly manicured green lawn.

Union Baptist Church, established in 1819, is the longest continually active African American church in Ohio and played ...
05/27/2026

Union Baptist Church, established in 1819, is the longest continually active African American church in Ohio and played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad. Its membership, comprised of many free families and pastors of color, included activists from the area known as "Poke Patch," which historian Wilbur Siebert described as a "busy junction" connecting routes between Ironton, Burlington and Rio Grande.

Notably, the Stewart family, who attended and preached at the church, were highlighted as among the most active workers in helping freedom seekers reach Canada. By honoring the church on the National Park Service's Network to Freedom, the legacy of its remarkable members and their vital contribution to the cause of liberty is recognized.

Images 1: A front-facing view of the white-sided church featuring a green awning
Image 2: A daytime picture of the white-sided church showing its green metal roof
Image 3: A side-angle view of the white church situated on a grassy hill under a bright blue sky

The 1st Kansas Volunteer Colored Infantry (KVCI) was a distinct regiment composed of both free men of African descent an...
05/21/2026

The 1st Kansas Volunteer Colored Infantry (KVCI) was a distinct regiment composed of both free men of African descent and formerly enslaved individuals seeking their liberty. The unit’s profound connection to the Underground Railroad is exemplified by William D. Matthews. A free Black businessman and active station master for the Underground Railroad, Matthews recruited freedom seekers into the 1st KVCI at Fort Scott, Kansas. Among those who joined were David and son, Marion Barber, two verified freedom seekers from Missouri who enlisted in the regiment.

Because the regiment was organized before the Emancipation Proclamation, it lacked official federal authorization during its formation. This unique status led to the 1st KVCI becoming the first Black unit to engage in combat during the Civil War. This historic engagement, the Battle of Island Mound, took place on October 28–29, 1862, just west of Butler, Missouri. Documentation indicates that while Marion Barber lost his life during the battle, his father, David, returned to Topeka, Kansas, where he was successfully reunited with his wife.

The commemorative statue, titled They Fought Like Tigers 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, is situated in the geographical center of Bates County, standing on the square in Butler, Missouri. Its location is highly symbolic, located only a few miles from the original site of the Battle of Island Mound.

Image: A bronze statue of a Black Union soldier from the American Civil War depicted mid-stride while holding a rifle with both hands wearing a traditional military uniform and kepi hat.

The Annual Susie King Taylor Escape to Freedom Program is held each April at Susie King Taylor Freedom Park in Liberty C...
05/19/2026

The Annual Susie King Taylor Escape to Freedom Program is held each April at Susie King Taylor Freedom Park in Liberty County, Georgia, to honor the 1862 escape of 13-year-old Susie King Taylor from enslavement during the Civil War.

Based on her own memoir, the program commemorates her flight from the Isle of Wight to Union protection and celebrates her later life as a pioneering nurse, teacher and advocate. The event emphasizes the critical role of the Underground Railroad in the south, through public storytelling, cultural performances and educational interpretation.

Organized by local historical and community groups, the program reflects a strong commitment to preserving and sharing her inspiring story of resistance for future generations.

Image: Close-up portrait shows a woman with a serene expression dressed in dark attire and long black veil.

The Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Lexington is a dual landmark, serving as one of Kentucky's few surviving Undergro...
05/14/2026

The Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Lexington is a dual landmark, serving as one of Kentucky's few surviving Underground Railroad stations and the site of the 1897 funeral of Lewis Gerrard Clarke, a freedom seeker whose life inspired the character George Harris in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The church, founded in 1820 and still house in its original 1826 sanctuary, was a secret haven for freedom seekers. By 1850, its members constructed a hidden room above the sanctuary. They even purchased the adjacent city stray pen, once used to contain dogs and livestock, to help conceal the scent of those they sheltered from tracking dogs. This network aided many, including Lewis Hayden and Lewis Garrard Clarke, whose life inspired the character George Harris in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Today, St. Paul embodies a tangible legacy of faith, resistance and the struggle for freedom.

Image: tall brick building with a pointy roof, many windows and a stair case leading to a double door.

From 1851 to 1865, the Old Bexar County Courthouse and Jail in San Antonio, Texas, served as a crucial institutional bar...
05/12/2026

From 1851 to 1865, the Old Bexar County Courthouse and Jail in San Antonio, Texas, served as a crucial institutional barrier to freedom for enslaved people attempting to escape to Mexico. As the closest major county seat to the Rio Grande border, the Bexar County jail became the detention center for scores of recaptured freedom seekers whose journeys were cut short.

County records, Texas laws and newspaper notices confirm that this site was used to hold these individuals while they awaited reclamation by their enslavers or, if unclaimed, were sold at auction on the courthouse steps. This history underscores the local government's active role in enforcing slavery and preventing personal liberty, making the Old Bexar County Courthouse and Jail a significant, albeit tragic, location for acknowledging those whose quest for freedom ended in re-enslavement.

Image: two black-and-white photographs of a rectangular building with multiple shuttered windows and an external wooden staircase.

Friendship Farm Park in Charles County, Maryland, preserves the site of a 19th-century to***co plantation where enslaved...
04/28/2026

Friendship Farm Park in Charles County, Maryland, preserves the site of a 19th-century to***co plantation where enslaved laborers endured harsh conditions and utilized waterways like Nanjemoy Creek as potential escape routes. The park specifically commemorates the courageous resistance of Scipio Gantt, who fled the plantation in 1840, prompting reward notices in Washington, D.C. newspapers.

Gantt was never recaptured, making his story a powerful example of successful self-liberation. Today, the 382-acre public park, which retains the location of the original Friendship House, serves as an important reminder of Maryland's role in the Underground Railroad and honors the legacy of individuals like Gantt who risked everything for freedom.

The Scipio Gantt’s Escape from Friendship Farm in Nanjemoy, Maryland is among 32 new listings added by the U.S. National Park Service to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. It joins more than 800 sites, facilities and programs already in the network that provide insight into the diverse experiences of freedom seekers who bravely escaped slavery and the allies who assisted them.

Image: A lush overlook framed by leafy tree branches reveals a wide, calm river

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Church Creek, MD
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