SUMMARY
The Underground Railroad was perhaps the most dramatic protest action against slavery in United
States history. It was a clandestine operation that began during the colonial period, later became part of organized abolitionist activity in the 19th century, and reached its peak in the period 1830 - 1865.
The story of the Underground Railroad is one of individual sacrifice and heroism in the efforts of
enslaved people to reach freedom from bondage.
In 1990 Congress directed the National Park Service to study how to best interpret and commemorate
the Underground Railroad, emphasizing the approximate routes taken by slaves escaping to freedom
before the Civil War. This study was completed in cooperation with an advisory committee
representing experts in historic preservation, African American history, United States history, and
members of the general public with special interest and experience in the Underground Railroad.
The most important findings of the study include the following:
- The Underground Railroad story is nationally significant.
- A few elements of the story are represented in existing NPS units and other sites, but many
important resource types are not adequately represented and protected.
- Many sites remain that meet established criteria for designation as national historic landmarks.
- Many sites are in imminent danger of being lost or destroyed.
- There is a tremendous amount of interest in the subject, but little organized coordination and
communication among interested individuals and organizations.
- Some sites have very high potential for preservation and visitor use.
- 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.
- 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.
The number of possible sites and structures associated with the Underground Railroad story is
immense. The Underground Railroad is every route the enslaved took, or attempted to take, to
freedom. It is a vast network of paths and roads, through swamps and over mountains, along and
across rivers and even by sea, that cannot be documented with precision.
This Special Resource Study involved consultation with 34 states, two territories, hundreds of
interested individuals and organizations around the country, as well as connections with Canada and
the Caribbean. The study considered 380 suggestions about potential sites of significance to the
Underground Railroad story. Additional research has identified 42 sites as having the highest potential
to meet established national historic landmark criteria for national significance. Detailed descriptions
of 13 sites that appear to have the highest potential for preservation and interpretation are provided
in the study.
Given the national significance of the story, the need for long-term preservation of resources, the
public enjoyment potential, and the current amount of public ownership, the Underground Railroad
story could become an example of the "new wave" national park unit þ a cooperative or partnership
park. Cooperative or partnership efforts, if successful, should reduce NPS staffing and development
requirements and annual operating costs. There would be minimal acquisition costs when compared
to a new traditional national park unit.
Five alternative concepts have been developed for preserving, commemorating, and interpreting
resources associated with the Underground Railroad. Management options for these concepts range
from no federal action to the creation of a new national park system unit. All of these concepts, with
the exception of no action, are intended to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the
Underground Railroad and to preserve its many important resources. A no-action concept is also
included to provide a base for comparing existing conditions with the other concepts. It is important
to note that while each concept could stand on its own, certain elements could be combined to better
serve resource protection and interpretation objectives. The Underground Railroad Advisory
Committee, established by Congress to advise the National Park Service on matters related to this
project, has recommended that all concepts be pursued simultaneously. Each concept is briefly
described below:
Concept A At a newly established commemorative, interpretive, educational, and research
center, visitors would come to understand the whole story of the Underground Railroad and its
significance in their area or region and in United States history. Resources related to the
Underground Railroad would be fully inventoried and documented.
Concept B An appreciation of the Underground Railroad would be accomplished by improving
existing interpretive programs and by implementing new programs that would provide visitors
with a complete, in-depth understanding of the Underground Railroad while focusing on local
aspects of the story of the site.
Concept C Visitors would have an opportunity to encounter a concentration of Underground
Railroad resources over a large geographic area (up to several hundred miles). These areas could
include national historic landmarks and existing NPS units associated with the Underground
Railroad story, documented escape routes used by enslaved Americans, structures and sites
associated with personalities and aspects of the Underground Railroad story, various landscapes
significant to the Underground Railroad story, and opportunities to illustrate the international
connection to the Underground Railroad.
Concept D The history, meaning, significance, and legacy of the Underground Railroad would
be remembered through a single commemorative monument. This monument would honor those
people who risked or lost their lives to escape the oppression of slavery and reach freedom on
the Underground Railroad and those who assisted them.
Concept E Visitors would have an opportunity to travel along trail systems that evoke the
perilous experience encountered by those who sought freedom through escape on the
Underground Railroad. A variety of natural resources (e.g., swamps, forests, and rivers) and
cultural resources (e.g., Underground Railroad stations, homes of significant individuals, and
archeological sites) along these trail systems would help to bring this story alive. A trail or trails
would be designated through the National Trails System Act of 1968, as amended. One option
in implementing concept E would be to establish a government-chartered commission or
foundation to work toward establishment of the trail(s).
Concept F The history, meaning, and significance of the Underground Railroad would continue
at the current level of commemoration, interpretation, and preservation.
The study also includes an environmental assessment of the potential impacts of the concepts. Because
the ideas presented in this study are conceptual, the potential consequences can only be addressed
in a general way. Topics covered include impacts on natural, historic, archeological, and
socioeconomic resources; impacts on visitor use and experience; and impacts on NPS units. Should
any of the action-oriented concepts be implemented, specific environmental consequences (e.g.,
flood plains and wetlands, threatened and endangered species) would be evaluated during any
necessary management planning or subsequent development planning.
On August 11, 1995, the Underground Railroad Advisory Committee made the following
recommendations:
- That the U.S. Congress authorize a national Underground Railroad Commission and fund a
national initiative to support projects focusing on activities associated with the Underground
Railroad.
- That all the alternatives identified as concepts A through E in this Special Resource Study be pursued with
equal vigor and simultaneously as appropriate.
- That public and private sector (corporate, university, organizational) partnerships be encouraged
and pursued wherever possible and appropriate to achieve the varying goals of the Underground
Railroad project.
- That an interpretive handbook on the Underground Railroad be researched, written, and
published, and that the skills of non-NPS experts be used wherever possible to ensure historical
accuracy and the broadest range of interpretation.
- That the mandate of the current Underground Railroad Advisory Committee be extended through
the congressional funding and NPS implementation stages to ensure project continuity and to
maintain project oversight.
- That, regardless of the existence of other congressional mandates or funding initiatives, the
National Park Service continue and accelerate its efforts regarding the documentation and
interpretation of the Underground Railroad in all parks, memorials, and trails within its
jurisdiction.
- That the National Capital Field Area Office of the National Park Service be authorized to
coordinate Underground Railroad activities throughout the National Park Service.
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