National Park Service (NPS) involvement with the Underground Railroad began in response to Public Law 101-628, enacted in November 1990, which directed the agency to study alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the Underground Railroad.

Guided by an Advisory Committee^[1] as specified in the legislation, the NPS completed a Special Resource Study in 1995.Several alternatives for commemorating the Underground Railroad were evaluated, including establishment of a commemorative and interpretive center, improvement and expansion of interpretive programs, visitor interaction with a concentration of Underground Railroad resources over a broad geographic area, development of a single commemorative monument, and establishment of a series of trails.The Advisory Committee recommended that "all the alternatives … be pursued with equal vigor and simultaneously as appropriate."^[2]

Three findings of the study were especially important in setting the stage for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998, which established the framework for an on-going NPS program.

• No single site or route completely reflects and characterizes the Underground Railroad.The story and resources involve networks and regions rather than individual sites and trails.

• There is a tremendous amount of interest in the subject, but little organized coordination and communication among interested individuals and organizations.

• A variety of partnership approaches would be most appropriate for the protection and interpretation of the Underground Railroad.These partnerships could include the federal, state, and local governments, along with a variety of private sector involvement.

These findings continue to inform the development of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, as authorized by P.L. 105-203.

An essential ingredient in formulating the program envisioned in the Network to Freedom Act, was consultation with community advocates and local researchers.  If the Network to Freedom was to represent the significance of the Underground Railroad, its inception as the manifestation of community memories had to be respected.  NPS invited community representatives to participate in several meetings and charrettes focused on these issues.  Most significantly:

• July 1999, Columbus, Ohio—determine the types of sites, programs and facilities that should be recognized in the Network and guiding principles for use of the logo
• January 2000, Charleston, SC—clarify the standards for “verifiable association”, the use of oral traditions to document UGRR associations, and issues related to historic preservation of UGRR properties    

The prevailing sentiment expressed in these meetings was that the Network to Freedom should be inclusive in the types of sites, programs, and facilities that could qualify.  However, the need to maintain clear standards for documenting a verifiable association was emphasized.  Most of the participants, having researched Underground Railroad history for many years, were keenly aware of the perception that accurate information about the Underground Railroad is not available and that many claims for association are rooted in myth.  Above all, community researchers are concerned with the importance of this history and the need for credibility in claims of Underground Railroad association.     

With this in mind, however, there is also a strong feeling that oral traditions must be respected as a legitimate source of information on the Underground Railroad.  The NPS Network to Freedom Program acknowledges the centrality of oral traditions in learning about the Underground Railroad.  To include sites in the Network to Freedom, however, the NPS requires additional documentation to substantiate details before oral traditions (or written evidence) may be used to validate site associations.  As with all historical research, more than one source of information—written or oral—is generally required for corroboration  For guidance on researching UGRR history, click here.  

As the Network to Freedom staff developed the mission statement for the program, the process and application form for nominating members to the Network to Freedom, and guidance on using oral traditions to research, we continued consulting and working with community members and NPS staff skilled in interpretation, curation, and archives.

NPS and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) officially launched the new logo, application process, and website on October 12, 2000 at Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Network to Freedom Day centered on the story and significance of the Underground Railroad and highlighted the new NPS program developed to commemorate this history.  Most significantly, the freedom star logo and original program website were unveiled for the first time.     

Among the day’s events:

• Participants received a First Day Issue Cancellation, Network to Freedom Day provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
  
  
• “In Their Words”  Breakfast
  
  
• Self guided walking tours of area Underground Railroad sites
  
  
• National Press Conference (Independence Square)
  Featuring the unveiling of the Network to Freedom logo by NPS Director Robert Stanton and comments by Tom Kiernan, NPCA President
  
  
• Network to Freedom Walk
  Participants from across the United States celebrated the  Network to Freedom and raised awareness of the Underground Railroad by walking from Independence Square to Mother Bethel AME Church.
  
  
• “In the Spirit of the Ancestors" (at Mother Bethel AME Church)
  Including a performance by “Seven Quilts for Seven Sisters” depicting through song the communication networks used during the Underground Railroad
  
  
• Spirit of Freedom banquet and performance by Melba Moore

In keeping with the NPS commitment to public consultation and participation, the process developed for adding new sites, programs, and facilities to the Network to Freedom included opportunities for public input.Applications are considered in two "rounds" of review each year.Candidates under consideration for inclusion in the Network to Freedom are posted to the program's website and included in the program's newsletters.The review committee is comprised of all Network to Freedom regional staff and at times an historian from the NPS National Register of Historic Places.The committee discusses the applications at public review meetings and then votes on whether the standards for documentation and connection to the UGRR are met.In order to make these meetings as more accessible, NPS has held them at various locations around the country.Due to federal budget and travel considerations, however, as of summer 2011, applications will no longer be reviewed in face-to-face meetings.

33 states

436 listings

290 sites  

88 programs  

58 facilities

The Network to Freedom has joined with local partners to present an annual UGRR conference beginning in 2007.  These conferences bring together a mix of grass roots researchers, community advocates, site stewards, government officials, and scholars to explore the history of the Underground Railroad.  Rotated to different parts of the country, the conferences highlight the unique history of various regions along with new research.

Other Collaborations and conferences

May 18-19, 2001

Borderlands Conference with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Northern Kentucky University's (NKU) Institute for Freedom Studies, focusing on the Middle Ohio River Valley from Marietta to Evansville, held at the NKU campus.

May 31-June 2, 2002

"Underground Railroad Activities on the Maritime Great Lakes"conference, with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, Michigan;

February 27-March 1, 2003

Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in American History and Legend

Conference, Community Tribute, and Cultural Fair with the Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History, Behring Center Program in African American Culture and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

May 29-31, 2004

"Freedom in the Florida Territory;American and Caribbean Connections to the Underground Railroad"conference, with National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Florida Underground Railroad Project, hosted at the University of Miami, in Miami, Florida.

September 28-October 8, 2006

"The Underground Railroad Experience" exhibit at the Tulsa State Fair, featuring an exhibit of artifacts by Jerry Gore and photographic artwork by Stephen Marc

[1] The Advisory Committee included nine members with expertise in African American history, historic preservation, museum work, and public programs.The members were Vivian Abdur-Rahim, Thomas Battle, Ancella Bickley, Charles Blockson (chair), John Fleming, Barbara Hudson, Rose Powhatan, Glennette Turner, and Robin Winks.

[2] U.S. Department of the Interior, "Underground Railroad:Special Resource Study, Management Concepts, Environmental Alterrnatives", 1995, p. v.