Last updated: April 18, 2023
Place
Massachusetts: Underground Railroad in Boston Self-Guided Audio Tour
Boston African American National Historic Site
Quick Facts
Location:
Boston, Massachusetts
Significance:
Self-Guided Audio Tour of the Underground Railroad in Boston
Designation:
Network to Freedom Member (2023)
The Underground Railroad in Boston is a Self-Guided Audio Tour freely available on the National Park Service App for mobile devices. This twelve-stop narrated tour begins in the historically African American neighborhood of Beacon Hill and makes its way through downtown Boston to Long Wharf on the waterfront. Featuring nuanced interpretation, readings of first-hand accounts and other primary sources, and an original score inspired by traditional spirituals and folk songs, this tour delves into lesser known stories of the Underground Railroad in Boston.
It looks at freedom seekers who came to Boston including William and Ellen Craft, Elizabeth Blakely, and others. It also highlights the individuals, organizations, and institutions that assisted freedom seekers along their journey including William Cooper Nell, the Boston Vigilance Committee, and the Twelfth Baptist Church among others. Further this tour examines the private ways in which people participated in the Underground Railroad network as well as the larger scale public protests and open confrontations with enslavers, their agents, and government authorities. By elevating these once covert places and stories, this tour encourages exploration and engagement with Boston’s unique role in this inspiring movement and aims to help visitors find contemporary relevance in their own lives.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom serves to honor, preserve, and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. The Network currently represents over 700 locations in 39 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its mission, the Network to Freedom helps to advance the idea that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.
It looks at freedom seekers who came to Boston including William and Ellen Craft, Elizabeth Blakely, and others. It also highlights the individuals, organizations, and institutions that assisted freedom seekers along their journey including William Cooper Nell, the Boston Vigilance Committee, and the Twelfth Baptist Church among others. Further this tour examines the private ways in which people participated in the Underground Railroad network as well as the larger scale public protests and open confrontations with enslavers, their agents, and government authorities. By elevating these once covert places and stories, this tour encourages exploration and engagement with Boston’s unique role in this inspiring movement and aims to help visitors find contemporary relevance in their own lives.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom serves to honor, preserve, and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. The Network currently represents over 700 locations in 39 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its mission, the Network to Freedom helps to advance the idea that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.