News Release

The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program announces new listings

Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church in Ontario is the first international listing in the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.

Salem Chapel BME photo

News Release Date: September 27, 2023

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WASHINGTON – The National Park Service has added 23 new listings to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, including its first international site. The program recognizes places and programs with verifiable connections to the Underground Railroad and the resistance to enslavement through escape or flight.  

“The Network to Freedom commemorates the courage, resilience and creativity of freedom seekers and provides insight to their struggles against oppression,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "Every listing added to the program moves us closer to telling a more complete and inclusive history of our nation and its quest to form a more perfect union.” 

Created 25 years ago, the Network to Freedom has more than 750 listings of sites, interpretive and educational programs, and research facilities related to the Underground Railroad. The listings document the diverse experiences of self-emancipators who bravely escaped slavery and the allies who assisted them. 

The addition of the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church as the network’s first international listing is a reminder of Canada’s pivotal role as a destination for many travelers on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman resided in St. Catharines from 1851 to 1858 and belonged to the church's congregation, along with numerous other self-liberators who settled in the area.  

Nominations for the Network to Freedom are accepted twice a year. Information and applications are available online.  

Following are the additions to the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. Some sites are privately owned. If the site is not open to the public, please respect the privacy of the owner.  

Ontario, Canada 

• Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Catharines

Delaware 

• James C. and Amelia Jackson Farm, Hockessin 

Washington, DC    

• International Underground Railroad Project 

Florida       

• Back to Angola Program, Bradenton   

Iowa                                                                                                                       

• Evergreen Cemetery, Fairfield  

Illinois       

• Bristol Congregational Church, Yorkville 

 Kentucky                    

• Madison and Kitty Smith Burial Sites, St. Louis Cemetery, Louisville  

Maryland         

• Concord Historic Site, District Heights  
• Malone's Methodist Episcopal Church, Madison  

 Michigan        

• Henry and Elizabeth Hamer Burial Site, Royal Oak Cemetery, Royal Oak      
• Michigan Central Railroad Depot Site, Detroit  
• Southfield Reformed Presbyterian Church, Southfield    
• Wayne County Community College Underground Railroad District History Program, Detroit 

Missouri       

• Archer Alexander Burial Site, St. Peter's Cemetery, St. Louis   
• Greenwood Cemetery, Hillsdale   
• Tower Grove House at Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis   

Minnesota         

• Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Paul   

Nebraska        

• John M. Thayer House, Lincoln 

New Jersey      

• Bethel A.M.E. Church, Greenwich   

New York 

• Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State, Albany   

Pennsylvania    

• Darby Friends Meetinghouse and School, Darby         
• Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church and Cemetery, Lincoln University    

South Carolina 

• Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island   

www.nps.gov 

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 425 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.