Vital Pathways
In the early-to-mid-1800s, people were seeking new routes to financial gain and personal freedom.
The creation of the Erie Canal—connecting the East Coast to the West—would be an economic game-changer, not only for New Yorkers but all Americans.
African Americans, however, were not free everywhere. Many African Americans moved to cities along the Erie Canal in search of not only economic opportunity—but freedom, sometimes using the canal as an escape route.
Along with European and Native Americans, many African Americans assisted enslaved persons on the Underground Railroad in and around the canal corridor
Underground Railroad Tours
Take a self-guided walking tour!
- The Freethought Trail - Rochester, NY
- Frederick Douglass Sites - Rochester, NY
- Pathways of Resistance Tour - Syracuse, NY
- Trail to Freedom - Oneida, NY
Historical Markers Along the Canal
Look for Underground Railroad historical markers as you explore the Canal!
Rochester, NY Markers
Find this Underground Railroad marker—and eight others nearby in Rochester, NY. It is at the intersection of West Main Street and North Plymouth Avenue on the right when traveling west on West Main Street
Solomon Northrup Marker in Saratoga Springs, NY
Author of “Twelve Years a Slave,” Solomon Northrup was born a free man. He was lured from Saratoga, kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841, then rescued in 1853. Marker is in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Harriet Tubman
Perhaps the best-known figure associated with the Underground Railroad—freeing 300+ enslaved persons—Harriet Tubman moved to Auburn, NY, in 1859. New York was an active area for progressive thought, abolition, and women’s rights, where Tubman fought for human dignity until her death in 1913.
Learn more with the “Travel with Tubman” Virtual Planning Tool, an app offered through the National Park Service.
The Harriet Tubman National Historic Park
The Harriet Tubman Home is charged with sharing Harriet Tubman’s core values with visitors through a guided tour of the property. On January 10, 2017, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park was established.
Historic Underground Railroad Map
Making History Around the Canal Corridor
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
(CA. 1817-1895)
Abolitionist, Orator, Publisher
The most prominent African American orator and anti-slavery leader of the 19th century, Douglass— once an enslaved person—lectured in the Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo, NY. He embarked on a lecture tour to promote the Irish edition of his publication Narrative in Ireland. He also spent some time in Scotland and Wales. He returned to America in 1847 and founded The North Star newspaper in Rochester, NY.
GARNET DOUGLASS BALTIMORE
(1859 - 1946)
Landscape Engineer
Garnet Baltimore’s most notable contribution was Prospect Park—an 84-acre park with a 25-mile view of the Hudson River—in Troy, NY. He also developed a system to test cement, later adopted by the state of New York and supervised the extension of the “mud lock” on the Oswego Canal.
SOJOURNER TRUTH
(CA. 1797 – 1883)
Suffragist, Outspoken Abolitionist
Bought and sold four times before she finally freed herself and her infant daughter in 1826, Sojourner Truth dedicated her life to helping enslaved people and women who had no rights. Find Sojourner Truth’s 7-foot bronze statue at the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, minutes from the Empire State Trail.
STEPHEN A. MYERS
(1859-1946)
Abolitionist, Leading Figure of the Underground Railroad
He was born in 1800 in Rensselaer County as an enslaved person and freed at eighteen. He lived at his wife Harriet’s house two blocks away from the Erie Canal’s docks. They were both active in the Underground Railroad and led the Vigilance Committee in Albany, New York. He was newspaper editor for these established papers Northern Star and Freeman’s Advocate. At the time of his death, he was the oldest and most celebrated African American in the Albany area.
WILLIAM WELLS BROWN
(CA. 1814-1884)
Abolition Lecturer, Novelist, Playwright, Historian, Steamboat Worker
Widely considered to have been the first African American to publish works in several major literary genres, Brown was known for his untiring political activism. At one point, he lived in Buffalo, NY and worked on a steamboat. He was able to help many enslaved people to safety.
REVEREND THOMAS JAMES
(CA. 1804-1891)
Minister, Freight Operations Supervisor
James escaped slavery and followed the newly staked-out route of the Erie Canal via Lockport to Canada. He later returned to New York and oversaw the Hudson and Erie line’s freight operations. In 1823, James built the first AME Zion church in Rochester. He went on to assist runaway enslaved persons on their journeys to Canada and helped form an anti-slavery society.
PEYTON HARRIS
(CA. 1791-1882)
Canal Boat Owner and Operator
In the 1830s Harris moved to Buffalo and became involved with the Erie Canal, owning and operating several boats. He was integral to the formation of the Michigan Street Baptist Church, a historic African American church.
EDNA D. SMITH
(CA. 1794-1878)
Abolitionist
In 1836, the Lockport Female Anti-Slavery Society was founded, a smaller chapter of the larger New York State Anti-Slavery Society, where Smith was elected manager. She later married prominent canal engineer David Thomas who developed the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Both were dedicated to equal rights and abolitionism.
JERMAIN WESLEY LOGUEN
(1813-1872)
“The king of the Underground Railroad”
Loguen operated a very large Underground Railroad station in Syracuse, NY. In 1863, Frederick Douglass and Loguen gave speeches in Rochester to recruit African Americans for the 54th Massachusetts—the first black regiment to see combat in the country. Most were boatmen: Black canal workers from the Erie Canal or sailors from Albany (Hudson River) and Buffalo (Lake Erie.)