Guide
Explore the Underground Railroad in 8 Sites
The Underground Railroad was an network of travel routes and safe houses that provided a critical lifeline for thousands of enslaved African Americans seeking freedom by fleeing to Northeastern U.S. states, Canada, and sometimes Mexico. Often these individuals were guided along by others (abolitionists and freedmen and women) called conductors, the most famous of which was Harriet Tubman. Many sites tied to the people and places that built the Underground Railroad remain standing today.
Ensuring the preservation of these sites, and the important stories they tell, is crucial to telling the full story of this chapter in America's history. For a nationwide map of known Underground Railroad sites and preservation projects, explore the National Park Service's Network to Freedom database which includes 800 sites with a verifiable connection to the Underground Railroad, or for educational tools visit Underground Railroad Education Center.
Below are eight locations you can visit to learn more, some of which are supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
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Photo By: Don Shall, Flickr
Rokeby Museum (Vermont)
The Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont is a National Historic Landmark telling the story of the Robinson family, who were dedicated abolitionists and civil rights activists. The museum is housed in their 18th century home and is one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country.
Learn More
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Photo By: John Haedrich
Kennett Underground Railroad Center (Pennsylvania)
The Kennett Underground Railroad Center identifies and commemorates individuals and sites associated with the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A grant from the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the rehabilitation of a local historic building and former Underground Railroad safe house into a center for the KURC’s educational programming.
Learn More
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Photo By: Kelly Paras
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Pennsylvania)
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1817 by 50 free African Americans. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad, housed a Black Civil War regimen, and was the center of the local abolitionist community. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the present-day congregation’s campaign to repair and preserve the building for future generations.
Learn More
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Photo By: Dee Durham
Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church (Delaware)
Zoar Methodist Episcopal church was founded in 1845 and served as a key Underground Railroad station and a house of worship for Odessa, Delaware’s historically Black community for over a century. Today, a grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the building’s restoration and future reuse.
Learn More
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Harriet Tubman Byway (Maryland)
For 213 miles through Maryland and Delaware, the Harriet Tubman Byway commemorates Tubman’s historic life and work. Visitors can drive and explore 33 sites that are tied to her journey from enslavement to freedom. She went on to help liberate others as a famed “conductor” of the Underground Railroad.
Learn More
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Photo By: Kelly Paras
Quinn Chapel AME Church (Maryland)
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1800 and has centuries of history as an Underground Railroad station, a hospital during the Civil War, and a school for Black children. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the restoration of the church's bell tower.
Learn More
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Photo By: Warren LeMay via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Ohio)
Located in Cincinatti, a few steps away from the Ohio River, the Underground Railroad Freedom Center sits along a natural divider between the South and the North. While not a specific site along the route, this museum uses the lessons from the Underground Railroad to connect to critical issues around modern slavery today.
Learn More
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Photo By: Priscilla Sullivan
Historic St. Paul AME Church (Kentucky)
Historic St. Paul AME Church opened in 1826 as a place of refuge for the local Black community and it was an Underground Railroad station. A Preserving Black Churches grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the church’s restoration and storytelling about its role in American history.
Learn More
While her day job is the associate director of content at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Priya Chhaya spends other waking moments musing, writing, and learning about how the public engages and embraces history. Morgan Forde is the senior manager for editorial and content at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. In her free time, she is a PhD candidate in urban history and African American studies at Harvard University.
Explore the Underground Railroad in 8 Sites
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1
Rokeby Museum (Vermont)
The Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont is a National Historic Landmark telling the story of the Robinson family, who were dedicated abolitionists and civil rights activists. The museum is housed in their 18th century home and is one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country. -
2
Kennett Underground Railroad Center (Pennsylvania)
The Kennett Underground Railroad Center identifies and commemorates individuals and sites associated with the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A grant from the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the rehabilitation of a local historic building and former Underground Railroad safe house into a center for the KURC’s educational programming. -
3
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Pennsylvania)
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1817 by 50 free African Americans. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad, housed a Black Civil War regimen, and was the center of the local abolitionist community. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the present-day congregation’s campaign to repair and preserve the building for future generations. -
4
Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church (Delaware)
Zoar Methodist Episcopal church was founded in 1845 and served as a key Underground Railroad station and a house of worship for Odessa, Delaware’s historically Black community for over a century. Today, a grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the building’s restoration and future reuse. -
5
Harriet Tubman Byway (Maryland)
For 213 miles through Maryland and Delaware, the Harriet Tubman Byway commemorates Tubman’s historic life and work. Visitors can drive and explore 33 sites that are tied to her journey from enslavement to freedom. She went on to help liberate others as a famed “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. -
6
Quinn Chapel AME Church (Maryland)
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1800 and has centuries of history as an Underground Railroad station, a hospital during the Civil War, and a school for Black children. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the restoration of the church's bell tower. -
7
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Ohio)
Located in Cincinatti, a few steps away from the Ohio River, the Underground Railroad Freedom Center sits along a natural divider between the South and the North. While not a specific site along the route, this museum uses the lessons from the Underground Railroad to connect to critical issues around modern slavery today. -
8
Historic St. Paul AME Church (Kentucky)
Historic St. Paul AME Church opened in 1826 as a place of refuge for the local Black community and it was an Underground Railroad station. A Preserving Black Churches grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the church’s restoration and storytelling about its role in American history.
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1
Rokeby Museum (Vermont)
The Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont is a National Historic Landmark telling the story of the Robinson family, who were dedicated abolitionists and civil rights activists. The museum is housed in their 18th century home and is one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country. -
2
Kennett Underground Railroad Center (Pennsylvania)
The Kennett Underground Railroad Center identifies and commemorates individuals and sites associated with the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A grant from the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the rehabilitation of a local historic building and former Underground Railroad safe house into a center for the KURC’s educational programming. -
3
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Pennsylvania)
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1817 by 50 free African Americans. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad, housed a Black Civil War regimen, and was the center of the local abolitionist community. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the present-day congregation’s campaign to repair and preserve the building for future generations. -
4
Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church (Delaware)
Zoar Methodist Episcopal church was founded in 1845 and served as a key Underground Railroad station and a house of worship for Odessa, Delaware’s historically Black community for over a century. Today, a grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the building’s restoration and future reuse. -
5
Harriet Tubman Byway (Maryland)
For 213 miles through Maryland and Delaware, the Harriet Tubman Byway commemorates Tubman’s historic life and work. Visitors can drive and explore 33 sites that are tied to her journey from enslavement to freedom. She went on to help liberate others as a famed “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. -
6
Quinn Chapel AME Church (Maryland)
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1800 and has centuries of history as an Underground Railroad station, a hospital during the Civil War, and a school for Black children. A grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the restoration of the church's bell tower. -
7
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Ohio)
Located in Cincinatti, a few steps away from the Ohio River, the Underground Railroad Freedom Center sits along a natural divider between the South and the North. While not a specific site along the route, this museum uses the lessons from the Underground Railroad to connect to critical issues around modern slavery today. -
8
Historic St. Paul AME Church (Kentucky)
Historic St. Paul AME Church opened in 1826 as a place of refuge for the local Black community and it was an Underground Railroad station. A Preserving Black Churches grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is supporting the church’s restoration and storytelling about its role in American history.