Delaware Scenic and Historic Highway Nomination Application HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BYWAY Submitted to: Delaware Department of Transportation Scenic and Historic Highways Program Sponsored by: Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware & National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Prepared by: David L. Ames, Ph.D., Sarah Beetham, Lael J. Ensor, Ann Fangmann, Robin Krawitz, Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, and Debra C. Martin, City of Wilmington With the assistance of: Erin Ferriter, Keonna Greene, Catherine Morrissey, Sarah Rector, Janet Sheridan, and Russell Stevenson GIS Support provided by: The UD Institute for Public Administration Center for Historic Architecture and Design University of Delaware Please refer all comments to David L. Ames at [email protected] Phone: 302-831-1050 Fax: 302-831-4548 JUNE 2009 1 2 FIGURE 1 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................7 OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCENIC AND HISTORIC HIGHWAY AND ITS LAND USE CONTEXT...................................................................................9 QUALIFYING AS A DELAWARE SCENIC AND HISTORIC HIGHWAY .....................................11 INTRINSIC QUALITY RESOURCE INVENTORY, THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AND THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD NETWORK TO FREEDOM .....12 THE CHALLENGE OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD AS A SCENIC AND HISTORIC HIGHWAY ......................................................................................................................................14 Inventorying Historic Intrinsic Qualities for the Underground Railroad ..................................... 16 INTERPRETIVE HISTORIC THEMES OF THE PROPOSED HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BYWAY ........................................................................................16 Slavery as an Inhumane Institution and the Situation in Delaware........................................... 16 Slavery in Delaware............................................................................................................. 17 Free Blacks in Delaware...................................................................................................... 19 The Regional and National Context of Slavery.................................................................... 20 Abolition and the Long Effort to End Slavery ............................................................................ 22 Religious movements and manumission. ............................................................................ 22 The American Revolution and the Enlightenment. .............................................................. 23 Free Black Communities and Activists. ............................................................................... 24 Delaware’s Underground Railroad Stories Begin and End in Other States: The Place of Delaware in the Underground Railroad Network ...................................................................... 25 Interpersonal Networks to Freedom in Delaware That Fed and Supported the Underground Railroad ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Who Escaped? How Personal Circumstances Determined the Choices Individuals Made and the Challenges They Faced ...................................................................................................... 27 Pathways and Barriers to Freedom Provided by Delaware’s Physical Landscapes ................ 28 TYPES OF UNDERGROUND RAILROAD HISTORIC INTRINSIC QUALITY SITES..................30 Types of Sites............................................................................................................................ 30 INVENTORY OF HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BYWAY HISTORIC INTRINSIC QUALITY SITES .................................................................................................... 30 Segment 1: The Gauntlet..................................................................................................... 30 Segment 3: The Bold Move ................................................................................................. 34 Segment 5: On to Pennsylvania .......................................................................................... 36 TRAVELER’S EXPERIENCE OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCENIC AND HISTORIC HIGHWAY ......................................................................................................................................37 Segment 1: Route 10 ................................................................................................................ 37 Segment 2: Route 15 ................................................................................................................ 43 Segment 3: Route 9 .................................................................................................................. 46 Segment 5: Kennett Pike .......................................................................................................... 53 APPENDIX 1: INTRINSIC QUALITY FORMS...............................................................................57 Segment 1: The Gauntlet .......................................................................................................... 58 Segment 2: Making Choices ..................................................................................................... 75 Segment 3: The Bold Move....................................................................................................... 81 Segment 4: Gateway to Freedom ............................................................................................. 85 Segment 5: On to Pennsylvania................................................................................................ 98 APPENDIX 2: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD HISTORIC PROFILES....................................... 100 Part 1: Underground Railroad Participants ............................................................................. 100 Profile: Harriet Tubman...................................................................................................... 100 Profile: Thomas Garrett ..................................................................................................... 101 Profile: William Still ............................................................................................................ 102 Profile: William Brinkley ..................................................................................................... 103 Profile: Samuel D. Burris ................................................................................................... 104 4 Profile: John Hunn ............................................................................................................. 105 Profile: Peter Spencer........................................................................................................ 106 Part 2: Other Topics ................................................................................................................ 107 Profile: The Quaker Role in the Abolitionist Movement..................................................... 107 Profile: Slave catchers in Delaware................................................................................... 109 Profile: African American Involvement in the Civil War ..................................................... 110 Profile: African American Settlements and Churches........................................................ 111 APPENDIX 3: MAPS................................................................................................................... 114 Part 1: General Maps .............................................................................................................. 115 Figure 2: Quaker Meeting Houses Along Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway……………………………………………………………………………………………...114 Figure 3: Free African American Settlements Along Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway South of the C and D Canal..................................................................... 116 Figure 4: Land Use Along Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway ....... 117 Part 2: Route Detail Maps ....................................................................................................... 118 Figure 5: Segment 1: Route 10 (The Gauntlet) ................................................................. 118 Figure 6: Segment 1: Optional Camden and Dover Loop (The Gauntlet)......................... 119 Figure 7: Segment 2: Route 15 (Making Choices) ............................................................ 120 Figure 8: Segment 3: Route 9 (The Bold Move)................................................................ 121 Figure 9: Segment 4: (Gateway to Freedom)…………………………………………………121 Figure 10: Segment 5: Kennett Pike (On to Pennsylvania)............................................... 123 APPENDIX 4: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION……………………………………………………………123 Attachment 4A: Letters of Support……………………..……………………………………....125 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 137 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people