® Underground Railroad Free Press Independent reporting on today’s Underground Railroad

November, 2008 urrfreepress.com Volume 3, Issue 6

Ceremony Honors Free Press Prize Winner David Anderson David A. Anderson, Ph.D., 2008 winner of the You have done as much as anyone to assure urrFreePress.com Underground Railroad Free Press Prize for that this noble moral enterprise takes its Leadership In the Contemporary Underground rightful place in history and in the hearts of  today's and future Americans and Canadians." Railroad Community, was honored November 13 in a ceremony at Rochester, New York's At the ceremony, Nazareth College named an Editorial Nazareth College where he is Community annual scholarship in honor of Dr. Anderson. Scholar In Residence with the School of Edu- Underground Railroad Preservation David Anderson continues his life's work writ- cation and College of Arts and Sciences. Picks Up Steam But Not for Routes ing on the Underground Railroad and particu- larly his first love, often acting the Under- As recently as five years ago, there wasn't a lot of good news to report ground Railroad story on stage to school about saving Underground Railroad audiences. sites from being lost to memory or to the elements. Typical for Underground Railroad safe-houses were demolition, deterioration, alterations into the un- recognizable or being forgotten alto- gether. Fates of Underground Railroad routes were even worse with "progress" Free Press Publisher Peter H. Michael confers the paving them over or planting a mall or 2008 Leadership Prize on Dr. David A. Anderson subdivision atop them. In presenting Dr. Anderson with his prize, Now, there is a budding and heartening Free Press publisher Peter H. Michael stated, movement toward recognizing the im- portance of restoring and preserving "On behalf of the international Underground Underground Railroad sites. Gratifying Railroad community, it is a delight to honor are the growing private-public partner- you for your many decades of work in rekin- ships at work in site preservation. dling awareness of the Underground Railroad. In this issue of Free Press are two good examples of preservation and protec- Hopper-Gibbons Safe-House Gets Reprieve tion mounted by local groups in part- In October, a group of neighbors and local James Gibbons in 1851. The Gibbons home is nership with government. New York historians secured a last-minute reprieve for part of an elegant two-block oasis of town- City's Hopper-Gibbons House is being the only documented Underground Railroad houses built as a piece in 1847 and known as saved through the efforts of neighbors safe-house in Manhattan Borough of New York Lamaratine Place at the time. and City government. The New Castle City. The current owners of Hopper-Gibbons Courthouse has been restored by the According to local preservationists Julie Finch House had sought to substantially modify the State of Delaware with encouragement and Fern Luskin, the Gibbons family hosted building and the City of New York had mis- of a private historical society. abolitionists John Brown, William Lloyd Garri- takenly issued a work permit for the changes. The 2008 Underground Railroad Free son, Lydia Maria Child, Lucretia Mott, Horace Press Prize for Preservation went to Greeley and many freedom seekers at dinners Maryliz and Paul Stewart who rescued in the home. and restored a safe-house with the help of the City of Albany, New York. Mobs of the 1863 Draft Riots, which lynched blacks and attacked the homes of abolition- The safe-house of Maryland's Cooling ists, assaulted the Gibbons home, threw fur- Springs Farm, among the nation's most visited Underground Railroad sites, was niture out the windows and set fire to several restored by its owners over the past rooms. Gibbons daughters Lucy and Julia es- four years and protected by a State of caped only by scrambling over rooftops to the Maryland conservation easement and a neighboring Hebrew Orphans Asylum. designation by Scenic America. Finch, Luskin and other preservationists are Among the best examples of forging working with city government to protect the public-private partnerships for Under- home by requiring that owner modifications ground Railroad preservation are those conform to period architecture, and plan to of the energetic Judith Wellman, mem- ber of the Free Press Prize Panel of apply for state and national landmark status Judges, and her colleagues in upstate for the entire Lamartine Place neighborhood. New York who have shepherded a num- Shown here is Hopper-Gibbons House intact in ber of joint preservation projects. The group's efforts got the permit revoked af- about the 1930s and in its present condition. Ms. Luskin is in the later photograph. Visit Sometimes it is government or the pri- ter a city review found that the architectural vate sector alone which saves a site as plans violated building and zoning codes. "Fern Luskin" at YouTube for more. when a local parks commission bought The home, located at 336 West 29th Street in Underground Railroad Free Press provided an the original Uncle Tom's Cabin to keep Manhattan, dates from 1847 and was pur- endorsement for preservation of the prop- (continued on page two) chased by Quaker abolitionists Abigail and erty.

Toronto's York University it from developers in Maryland. Delaware Courthouse In Preservation Award But safe-houses are faring far better The New Castle Historical Society of New the nation's oldest and most historic court- than Underground Railroad routes in Castle, Delaware, has conferred its top houses, the New Castle Courthouse served as being identified, protected and pre- honor, the Bamberger Historic Preservation Delaware's first court and state capitol, and served. This is due to some routes being obliterated by major thorough- Award, to the State of Delaware for the was the site of the trial of famed Under- fares or developments or these clan- State's restoration of the historic New Castle ground Railroad safe-house operator Thomas destine paths being hard to identify, Courthouse shown here. Garrett. but much is due simply to neglect and a concentration on safe-houses. At the age of 60 in 1848, after years of aiding freedom seekers, Garrett was arrested, tried, We encourage the burgeoning Under- convicted and fined $5,400 which he wasn't ground Railroad preservation move- able to pay. To collect the fine, the court ment to begin identifying and seek- confiscated Garrett's home, furnishings and ing protection for Underground Rail- road routes as it is so successfully blacksmithing tools. When the judge asked doing with safe-houses. him after sentencing if he had anything to say, Garrett famously replied, "Friend, I have How to Subscribe not a dollar in the world, but if thee knows a Free Press subscriptions are free. To fugitive who needs a breakfast, send him to subscribe, send email addresses of those me.” Within days, townspeople, black and you would like to receive Free Press to [email protected]. white alike, donated materials for a new home and smithing tools to Garrett who went View or Add to Datebook right back to aiding freedom seekers. Email us your upcoming events and we will add them to the Datebook central Now a museum operated by the State's Divi- When Garrett died in 1871, his coffin was calendar of the Underground Railroad sion of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the community. Visit urrFreePress.com to borne by 1,500 admirers, black and white view Datebook. 1732 courthouse was reopened on September alike, to his simple Quaker grave. 28 after $2.5 million in renovations. One of Send News, Letters, Articles or Ads News, letters or articles: [email protected] Book Review: River Jordan Chronicles Heroic Escape Advertising: [email protected] As novels on the Underground Railroad are daily travails, risks, tactics and daunting ob- See the notice on our web site for scarce, most books which Free Press reviews stacles which fugitives faced. specifications, rates and restrictions. are nonfiction but there are some very read- The River Jordan is captivating and, as with Link Your Web Site or View Lynx able exceptions. In our May, 2007, issue, we Walk Through Darkness, could, in our opin- Visit urrFreePress.com to view Lynx, reviewed David Durham's Walk Through Dark- the central registry of Underground ion, be brought forth as a major film. Railroad organizations. To add your ness, a stem-winder of Underground Railroad link, email its web address to fiction. Lately we read Henry Burke's and When we interviewed Mr. Burke during his [email protected]. Dick Croy's The River Jordan, another page- recent visit to Free Press, he explained that Free Press Prize Nominations turner of Underground Railroad fiction now in his book was sparked forty years ago by his Visit urrfreepress.com to learn more its third printing. coming across an original reward poster for about these annual prizes and to Jane posted by Solomon Harness. Author download a nomination form As historical fiction, The River Jordan closely Burke is a story in himself. Regarded as one follows the true story of Jane, an enslaved ® of southeast Ohio's foremost Underground Underground Railroad Free Press woman from Virginia's Harness plantation who Independent Reporting On Railroad historians, Henry Burke descends Today’s Underground Railroad in 1843 led her seven children to freedom from Underground Railroad freedom seekers, across the Ohio River — which freedom seek- Peter H. Michael, Publisher safe-house operators and conductors, and has [email protected] ers likened to the biblical River Jordan — into done much to get official recognition and 301.874.0236 Ohio and then to Canada. This classic tale of signage for a long list of Ohio Underground Underground Railroad Free Press is a free news- freedom seekers, their shelterers and con- letter published by Underground Railroad Free Railroad sites. Press Publications, 2455 Ballenger Creek Pike, ductors of both races vividly portrays the Adamstown, Maryland, 21710. Back issues are available free at our web site. Underground Maryland and New York Senators Introduce Tubman Park Bill Railroad Free Press is distributed by email. Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben- York's at Auburn, Tubman's home for 64 years Send email address changes and new subscriber email addresses to [email protected]. jamin Cardin and Senators Hillary Clinton and after she attained her freedom in 1849. Underground Railroad Free Press welcomes news Charles Schumer of New York have intro- articles and letters to the editor of 800 words or duced the Harriet Tubman Underground Rail- Said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, the less. All rights to submissions including email parks will be a "permanent tribute and gate- and letters will be treated as unconditionally as- road National Historical Park Act to com- signed to Free Press for publication and copy- memorate Tubman and her life in the two way into the life of the Maryland-born Ameri- right purposes, and subject to our unrestricted can patriot whose courage, leadership, and right to edit and comment editorially unless oth- states. Similar legislation has been intro- erwise negotiated with authors. duced by three House sponsors to establish a legacy serve today as a model for us all." Underground Railroad Free Press accepts taste- Tubman park in each state. All seven spon- The bills also authorize a new National Park ful nonpolitical advertising and reserves the right to reject advertising which for any reason sors are Democrats. Service grant program to research the life of in our sole judgment is not acceptable. Submit Harriet Tubman and the African-American advertising in pdf, jpg, tiff, png or gif format or The bills authorize $11 million for construc- text. Visit urrfreepress.com for rates and layout tion of the Harriet Tubman State Park Visitors experience. Grants are intended mainly for specifications. Center in Maryland and $7.5 million for pres- researchers at historically African-American All contents of this and other issues of Under- colleges and universities. ground Railroad Free Press are protected by ervation and restoration of Tubman-related copyright and may not be reproduced in whole properties in Auburn, New York. Maryland's Funding for the parks and grant program is or in part for any reason without prior written approval of the publisher. Underground Railroad park will be at Tubman's birth place and es- scheduled to be budgeted over several years Free Press is a registered trademark. cape site near Bucktown, Maryland, and New beginning in September, 2009.