Places of the Underground Railroad : A Geographical Guide

This up-to-date compilation details the most significant stops along the Underground Railroad. Places of the Underground Railroad: A Geographical Guide presents an overview of the various sites that comprised this unique road to freedom, with entries chosen to represent all regions of the United States and Canada. Where most works on the Underground Railroad focus on the people involved, this unique guide explores the intricacies of travel that allowed the "conductors" to carry out the tasks entrusted to them. It presents an accurate picture of just where the Underground Railroad was and how it operated, including routes and itineraries and connections between the various Railroad locations. Through information about these locations, the book takes readers from the beginnings of organized aid to fugitive slaves during the period following the American Revolution up to the Civil War. It delineates the possible routes fugitive slaves may have taken by identifying the rivers, canals, and railroads that were sometimes used. And it shows that a network, though decentralized and variable over time and place, truly was established among Underground Railroad participants. Approximately 75 A-Z entries cover the most significant stations on the Underground Railroad Illustrations and maps help readers envision routes and strategies of railroad "conductors" Interactive sidebars offer a firsthand glimpse into the arduous nature of Underground Railroad journeys, the decisions made, and the plans involved Primary source letters and diary entries detail actual incidents that took place A chronology includes important events related to the Underground Railroad from the Colonial Period to the Civil War Suggested reading sections after each entry and a general print and nonprint bibliography act as a guide for further research