I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say—I neverran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.
-Harriet Tubman, 1896
Harriet Tubman is one of the first names that comes to mind when you say The Underground Railroad. There wasn't an actual train but the symbolism of of people bonded together moving towards a location together. Their destination, freedom. Beginning in the 16th century, millions of African people were kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas under horrific conditions. Many of these enslaved people died and those who survived would endure decades of mistreatment in America. When they had enough they began to escape and emancipate themselves.
The routes followed natural and man-made modes of transportation - rivers, canals, bays, the Atlantic Coast, ferries and river crossings, road and trails. Locations close to ports, free territories and international boundaries prompted many escapes. As research continues, new routes are discovered and will be represented on the map. -The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Fort Pickens in Pensacola FL has been officially been named part of the Underground Railroad Network. Casimer Rosiecki is responsible for the research that uncovered mostly untapped information about a stretch of underground railroad in Northwest Florida. Find the full story at PNJ.com