News Release
Torrington Historical Society
News Release Date: May 1, 2025
Contact: NewsMedia@nps.gov
WASHINGTON – The birthplace of abolitionist John Brown in Connecticut, the rescue of 14 freedom seekers in California and a monument commemorating 326 people of African descent who sought freedom through the St. Louis, Missouri circuit courts all appear in the latest additions to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. The Network has added 31 new entries to its list of sites, interpretive and educational programs and research facilities related to its twice-yearly appraisal of applicants.
The Network to Freedom program, created by Congress in 1998, highlights more than 800 places and programs. The Network verifies that each one is a true story about the men, women and children who freed themselves or were helped by others to escape enslavement. Some succeeded and others, tragically, failed. The Network to Freedom program has listings in 41 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
All 31 new sites and programs are listed below. Some of these sites may be privately owned and not open to the public. Please respect the privacy of the owners.
Sites:
Connecticut
John Brown Birthplace - Torrington, Conn.
The John Brown Birthplace highlights the early life of the abolitionist hero and documents the 18th Century anti-slavery forces in northwestern Connecticut at the time of his birth in 1800. This site was first used to remember Brown’s legacy on December 2, 1859, the day he was hanged by the state of Virginia for the armed raid he led on a U.S. Army Armory at Harpers Ferry, now part of West Virginia and a National Park Service site. The birthplace has continued to serve as a pilgrimage destination ever since.
Colorado
Barney Ford House - Breckenridge, Colo.
Barney Ford, who escaped slavery in 1848, became a civil rights leader in Chicago by co-founding the Vigilance Committee. He later achieved success in the West as a hotelier, restauranteur and gold miner. His 1882 home in Breckenridge is now preserved as a museum to honor his legacy.
California
Rescue of 14 Freedom Seekers in the Santa Monica Mountains - Calabasas, Calif.
In January 1856, 14 enslaved Black women and children were rescued in the Santa Monica Mountains. This liberation sparked the largest freedom suit in the American West, leading both to their own emancipation and to the downfall of California’s largest slaveholder, Robert Smith. One survivor, Biddy Mason, later became a prominent Los Angeles entrepreneur.
Jumuba Ranch - San Bernadino, Calif.
In the mid-1850s, Black freedom seekers in San Bernardino orchestrated the liberation of 14 enslaved people from slaveholder Robert Smith. This brave act sparked legal proceedings that led to their emancipation—including Biddy Mason—and ultimately ending Black slavery in Southern California.
Kentucky
Greenup County Slave Revolt Site, Ky.
On August 14, 1829, near present-day Lynn, Kentucky, 58 enslaved people revolted after they were forcibly marched to Mississippi. The group killed two traffickers before 16 of them attempted escape. All were later recaptured.
Maryland
Goshen Farm - Annapolis, Md.
Goshen Farm in Anne Arundel County provided crucial escape routes and refuge for enslaved individuals, including Jack Green and the Johnson family.
Issac Mason Escape Site - Chestertown, Md.
In 1846, Isaac Mason escaped his enslavement from this 1830s house, which belonged to the Mansfield family. Mason shared his powerful story of escape on the Underground Railroad in his memoir, Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave.
St. Augustine Church - Chesapeake, Md.
At St. Augustine Church in Cecil County, Maryland, several enslaved human beings escaped during the British occupation of 1777. Marked on period battle maps, the area was known as a place for freedom seekers, encouraged by British proclamations, fled their enslavers on the patriot side of the Revolution.
Rich Hill - Bel Alton, Md.
Rich Hill, a historic plantation in Charles County, Maryland, was both a site of bondage and resistance. Enslaved individuals escaped from Rich Hill and into freedom intermittedly throughout the 1700s and 1800s.
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, Susquehanna State Park - Harve DeGrace, Md.
This segment of the Susquehanna and Tidewater (S&T) Canal, now administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, highlights three stories that suggest that enslaved persons used the S&T Canal as a pathway from Maryland to freedom in Pennsylvania.
Michigan
Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist Church and Burial of William Swan - Charlevoix, Mich.
The Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist and cemetery represents the Anishinaabe Tribal community, which assisted freedom seeker William Swan as he built a free life in Northern Michigan. Swan is buried in the cemetery.
Oakridge Cemetery - Marshall, Mich.
Adam and Sarah Crosswhite escaped enslavement with their four children to this town. Four of the family members are buried at Oakridge Cemetery, along with some individuals who assisted the Crosswhite Family in town.
Site of the Jackson and Wiley Foundry - Detroit, Mich.
Cyrus W. Jackson and Jefferson Wiley founded the Jackson and Wiley Foundry. This location and its resources assisted those seeking their freedom. The foundry served as a discreet meeting point for those escaping via the Detroit River to Canada.
Missouri
Freedom Suits - St. Louis, Mo.
The Freedom Suits Statue, created by civil rights artist Preston Jackson, commemorates 326 St. Louis Black Americans who sought freedom from enslavement by filing lawsuits in the circuit courts between 1814 and 1860.
Nebraska
July Miles’ Path to Freedom - Omaha, Neb.
S.J. “July” Miles, an early member of the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Omaha, NE, self-emancipated during the Civil War. Later, Miles became an important member of Omaha’s early Black community.
Ohio
Lewis Adams Marker - Urbana, Ohio
An Ohio state historical marker commemorates the brave multigenerational story of Underground Railroad participation by Lewis Adams, his son David, Lewis’ father-in-law Frank Reno and his sons. The family aided freedom seekers escaping north via the Ohio River towards Lake Erie and Canada, along a route previously known as the Bullskin Trace trail. Today, this is known as U.S. Route 68.
Bethel A.M.E. Church - Gallipolis, Ohio
The free Black community of Gallipolis, Ohio founded Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in either 1818 or 1819. The congregation, inspired by the AME Church’s mission of liberation through faith and action, assisted freedom seekers.
Campbell House - Ironton, Ohio
The Campbell House, home to John and Elizabeth Campbell, served as a station for Underground Railroad operations in Lawrence County, Ohio. The Campbells worked with other local abolitionists to assist freedom seekers in the area.
Ironton African Methodist Church - Ironton, Ohio
The African Methodist Church of Ironton, Ohio, known today as Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, was founded by Retta and Gabe N. Johnson. The couple helped freedom seekers escape through the Hanging Rock Iron District, a region encompassing the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky and what was formerly part of the state of Virginia and is now part of West Virginia.
Kirker Homestead - West Union, Ohio
The Kirker homestead in Adams County was a key station for the Underground Railroad in Ohio. There, Governor Thomas Kirker, his wife Sarah and their 13 children actively supported freedom seekers.
Pleasant Green Baptist Church - Portsmouth, Ohio
Pleasant Green Baptist Church, Portsmouth's oldest active Black Baptist congregation, was founded by formally enslaved individuals and allies and has deep connections to Underground Railroad history in Appalachian Ohio.
Pennsylvania
Mifflin House - Wrightsville, Pa.
The Mifflin house, built in 1800 on the western side of the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville, was a key Underground Railroad station from 1800-1845. Jonathan and Susanna Mifflin, followed by their son and inheritor Samuel, provided refuge to freedom seekers for more than 30 years by helping them cross the wide Susquehanna River to continue their journey to freedom.
Providence Friends Meeting - Media, Pa.
This addition to the Network relies upon the oral history of the Ridgely family's escape from enslavement and subsequent settlement in Media during the Civil War. It highlights the area's strong Quaker ties to the Underground Railroad and the author's personal connection as a descendant of the Ridgely Family, preserving his family's legacy by documenting the stories of his grandmother.
Painter Farmstead - West Chester, Pa.
The James Painter Farmstead in Chester County served as a vital Underground Railroad stop. There, freedom seekers such as Henry Clark and George Johnson found refuge. The Farmstead was aided by abolitionists and the region’s strong Quaker and free Black communities.
Texas
Galveston's Maritime Underground Railroad - Galveston, Texas
Galveston Bay and its tributaries were central to maritime freedom-seeking escapes between 1816 and 1865. The bay connected enslaved people in southeast Texas to chances to seek liberation by escaping to Mexico and beyond. Today, the Galveston Historic Seaport serves as a public museum that preserves and promotes this brave history.
West Virginia
James Monroe Escape - Huntington, W.Va.
In August 1836, James Major Monroe escaped enslavement in Guyandotte, a neighborhood formerly part of the state of Virginia before annexation. Monroe endured brutal treatment and a perilous journey through Ohio before successfully reaching Canada.
Green Bottom Plantation - Glenwood, W.Va.
Three enslaved men named Moses, Joshua and Joe escaped Green Bottom Plantation to Ohio in 1819. This was the first of multiple documented escapes from the plantation. The location later became a vital point in the Underground Railroad network, using the Ohio River to connect with an established Underground Railroad network in southeastern Ohio before continuing northward.
Programs
Illinois
Bronzeville – Black Chicagoan Historical Society - Chicago, Ill.
The Bronzeville/Black Chicagoan Historical Society operates as a voluntary, open-membership community group. They offer walking tours and bus tours of local Underground Railroad sites. These include Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Olivet Baptist Church and the Stephen A. Douglas Tomb Site. Tours tell the stories of freedom seekers, abolitionists and allies who contributed to the history of Chicago’s Black community.
Songs of Freedom - Macomb, Ill.
Songs of the Illinois Freedom Road is a musical performance by Chris Vallillo that combines historic music with quotes and accounts from first person narratives, retelling the stories of Freedom Seekers who traveled to and through Illinois in search of safety and freedom.
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area - Springfield, Ill.
The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, one of more than 60 Congressionally established National Heritage Areas in the United States, includes parts of 43 counties in central Illinois. Looking for Lincoln tells the story of the Underground Railroad in Illinois. The program better acquaints Illinois residents with this noble story through interpretive programming, a travelling exhibit, lesson plans, videos and podcasts.
Missouri
Archer Alexander and the Underground Railroad - St. Louis, Mo.
Doris Keeven Franke presents Archer Alexander’s life story as a freedom seeker who escaped with sixteen other freedom seekers, supplied information to United States Troops about his enslaver, and how Archer found refuge and eventual freedom with the help of St. Louis resident William G. Eliot.
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Last updated: May 1, 2025