By Keith Everett, Philadelphia Support Office, and Tara D. Morrison, Northeast Region

The National Park Service is implementing a national Underground Railroad (UGRR) Program to coordinate preservation and education efforts nationwide and integrate local historical places associated with the UGRR into a mosaic of community, regional and national stories. The NPS program builds upon and is supported by community initiatives around the country as well as legislation passed in 1990 and the National Underground Network to Freedom Act of 1998.

The name -- Underground Railroad -- is metaphorical and refers to the effort of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom through escaping bondage.  Their acts of self-emancipation made them fugitives according to the law of the times. While most freedom seekers began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, each decade in which slavery was legal in the United States saw an increase in active efforts to assist their escape.  In many cases the decision to assist may have been a spontaneous reaction as the situation presented itself. However, in some places, and particularly after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the UGRR was deliberate and organized. Despite the illegality of their actions, and without regard to their own personal danger, people of all races, classes and genders participated in this early form of civil disobedience. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape, at first to maroon communities in swamps or other rugged terrain on the edge of settled areas. Spanish territories to the south in Florida, British areas to the north in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and other foreign countries offered additional destinations for freedom. Free black communities in urban areas in both the South and the North were the destination for some freedom seekers. The maritime industry was an important source for spreading information as well as offering transportation and employment. Through ties with the whaling industry, California became a destination, as did possibly, Alaska. Military service provided another avenue as thousands of African Americans joined the military, from the colonial era to the Civil War, as a means to gain their freedom. During the Civil War, many fugitives sought protection and freedom by escaping to the United States army. 

Legislation
In 1990, the Congress instructed the NPS to study how to best interpret and commemorate the UGRR, emphasizing the approximate routes taken by those escaping to freedom before the Civil War. The study was completed in cooperation with an advisory committee representing experts in historic preservation, African American history, U.S. history and members of the general public with special interest and experience with the UGRR.

The advisory committee concluded that there were NPS units connected to the UGRR story, however, there was a strong need for preservation of sites as many had been lost or in danger of being destroyed. In addition,  there was a need for a more diverse representation of preserved resource types. The committee's findings also addressed the geographical relevance of the UGRR; it is of national significance and no one site or trail completely reflects the diversity of the story. They recognized the tremendous amount of interest in the subject, but little organized coordination and communication among interested individuals and organizations.  Finally, the committee believed the UGRR should be preserved and interpreted through the cooperation of the government and private sector.

The National Park Conservation Association subsequently took an active role and working with the grassroots community lobbied for UGRR legislation. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act became law on July 21, 1998. The law authorizes the NPS to coordinate and facilitate federal and non-federal activities that include commemorating, honoring and interpreting the history of the UGRR acknowledging it as a precursor to the national civil rights movement and its relevance in fostering the spirit of racial harmony and national reconciliation. Directing the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program in the NPS, known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, the law honors the importance of the UGRR, focusing not only on those who aided the enslaved but recognizing the active role of freedom seekers.

The National Park Service Network to Freedom Program
The program has made significant pro-gress since its inception. Relying not only on the 1998 Act, constant involvement of a variety of partners helps to shape the program. There has been a concerted effort to produce educational materials and provide technical assistance. The UGRR handbook, produced in 1998, includes several essays on slavery and the UGRR. The NPS National Register, History and Education Program is responsible for maintaining the UGRR travel itinerary, a popular website that recorded 20,000 visitors per week in 1999. This office also produced the popular research booklet, "Exploring a Common Past: Researching and Interpreting the Underground Railroad," and "Underground Railroad Resources in the United States: Theme Study," which assists those interested in documenting sites and possible National Register or National Historic Landmark designation.

In addition to facilitating communication, producing and disseminating educational materials and providing technical assistance, the NPS's National UGRR Network to Freedom Program is authorized to create the UGRR Network to Freedom, or the "Network." The Network is a diverse collection of elements comprised of historic sites and properties, and facilities and programs that have a verifiable association to the UGRR. It is a significant but distinct part of the Network to Freedom Program.  The Network is inclusive and incorporates the broadest range of elements possible to tell the story of the UGRR. It is based on the fundamental premise that enslavement was unnatural to the human condition and that the enslaved resisted, through a variety of means, wherever and whenever slavery existed. UGRR activity occurred when resistance took the form of flight.

A committee of coordinators representing each region, acting under the leadership of the Midwest Region, has guided the development and priorities of the URGG Program. In 1999 and early 2000, the coordinators' activities focused on establishing connections at the state and local levels, providing technical assistance and developing operational procedures for the Network. A series of events in Philadelphia Oct. 12 will highlight the official launch of the Network to Freedom.

After consultation with our partners, the NPS has developed criteria, a process and an application form for the Network. We also are developing a unique logo that will be used to identify elements of the Network. In partnership with the National Park Foundation, a website and database are under development to highlight the many stories of the UGRR in communities across the country.

The Movement
For most, association with the national UGRR Network to Freedom Program results in an awareness that this is much more than a program, this is a movement. The NPS is fortunate to be involved in the preservation and education of the UGRR. In the spirit of the UGRR NPS units and programs are bridging the gap and partnering with non-traditional audiences including international communities in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
 Several regions have hosted "gatherings," a term coined after the first such meeting in Philadelphia in 1998. Gatherings aid in the identification of potential partners by bringing together people from grassroots, municipal, state and federal agencies and organizations interested in the UGRR.

The Midwest Region sponsored a gathering or public meeting in Indianapolis for anyone  interested in the UGRR. The Indiana Freedom Trails (IFT) was organized as a result. An Intermountain region gathering, "Blazing Trails to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Texas," was held in Huntsville, Texas, and resulted from close collaboration with local organizations. National Capitol Region held a workshop entitled "Discovering the Underground Railroad in Greater Washington" and co-sponsored a gathering with the Northeast Region  in Arlington, Va. The Northeast Region also co-sponsored gatherings in two centers of UGRR activity: New Bedford and Boston, Mass.

Park units are providing technical assistance and partnering with their communities to preserve local UGRR history. New Bedford Whaling NHP works closely with the New Bedford Historical Society to tell the story of New Bedford's role in the UGRR. This partnership has resulted in the New Bedford UGRR brochure, an exhibit, "Frederick Douglass the New Bedford Years," and the NHL designation of the Johnson House, home of active African American abolitionists.

The Southeast Region assisted River Road Museum in Gonzales, La., in developing interpretive and educational materials on rural plantation slavery, maroon towns, Native American communities and UGRR operations in Louisiana. As a result of this collaboration, Jean Lafitte NHP has begun to work with the museum to provide technical assistance with interpretation. In return, the research produced will be incorporated into the interpretive program at Jean Lafitte.

In the Midwest, Hopewell Culture NHP staff and students from Washington Courthouse Senior High School collaborated on archival and archeological work in an effort to increase understanding of UGRR activity in Fayette County, Ohio. 

Efforts of the Network to Freedom Program also will expand traditional understanding of the UGRR. Final destinations included places other than the Northeast, Midwest and Canada. In Alaska, the program began a historical research project to document Alaskan connections to the UGRR through New England-based maritime activities. The project involves collaboration between three NPS regions and will illuminate the role of African Americans, both freed men and enslaved, in the Northern Pacific commercial whaling trade. The Pacific West Region completed the printing of the brochure, "The Quest for Freedom Moves West, 1848-1869." It has provided information on the program and stimulated people to seek more information on UGRR activities in the western states.

Crossing international borders, freedom seekers also settled in Canada and Mexico. Prior to the 1998 Act, the NPS and Parks Canada co-sponsored a binational field study. Approximately 40 Canadians and Americans traveled for eight days, visiting sites associated with the UGRR in the United States and Canada and exploring opportunities to develop national/international UGRR partnership programs.

Last April UGRR Program regional coordinators met with Black Seminoles in Bracketville, Texas, and Muzquiz and Nacimiento, Mexico, home to fleeing Black Seminole Indian Scouts since the 19th century.

The Intermountain Region coordinator has partnered with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History to document Seminole and UGRR associated sites in the state of Coahuila.

Building upon the tireless efforts of the grassroots community the National Network to Freedom Program has made many connections and helped to uncover many untold stories. As we continue to work with our partners, we welcome you to join us in the commemoration, education and preservation of the UGRR. When the Underground Railroad becomes a salient part of American history illustrated through education and preservation, we will have reached our goal.

Keith Everett is superintendent of the Philadelphia Support Office. Tara D. Morrison is the Underground Railroad coordinator in the Northeast Region.

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