What is the Underground Railroad?

The Underground Railroad refers to efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape, at first to maroon communities in remote or rugged terrain on the edge of settled areas. Their acts of self-emancipation made them “fugitives” according to the laws of the times, though in retrospect “freedom seeker” seems a more accurate description. While most freedom seekers began their journey unaided and many completed their self-emancipation without assistance, each decade in which slavery was legal in the United States saw an increase in active efforts to assist escape. In many cases the decision to assist a freedom seeker may have been a spontaneous reaction as the opportunity presented itself. However, in some places, particularly after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Underground Railroad was deliberate and organized.

What is the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program?

Public Law 105-203 the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 directs the National Park Service (NPS), to establish a program that tells the story of resistance against the institution of slavery in the United States through escape and flight. This story is illustrative of a basic founding principle of this Nation, that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression. Through this National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, NPS is demonstrating the significance of the Underground Railroad not only in the eradication of slavery, but as a cornerstone of our national civil rights movement.

The Program is coordinating preservation and education efforts nationwide, and is working to integrate local historical sites, museums, and interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad into a mosaic of community, regional, and national stories. There are three main components to the Program:

•  Educating the public about the historical significance of the Underground Railroad;

•  Providing technical assistance to organizations that are identifying, documenting, preserving and interpreting sites, approximate travel routes and landscapes related to the Underground Railroad, or that are developing or operating interpretive or educational programs or facilities; and

•  Develop a Network of sites, programs, and facilities with verifiable associations to the Underground Railroad, referred to as the “Network to Freedom” or the “Network”.

One of the principal objectives of the program is to validate the efforts of local and regional organizations, and make it easier for them to share expertise and communicate with the NPS and each other.

What is the Network to Freedom?

The Network to Freedom is a significant but distinct part of the NPS' National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. It is a diverse collection of elements comprised of historic sites, facilities and programs that have a verifiable association to the Underground Railroad. Individuals and organizations themselves are not eligible for the Network, but rather they can nominate the sites, programs and facilities that they work with. The Network incorporates a broad range of listings that have been nominated and evaluated for their association to the Underground Railroad and have met certain established criteria.

Inclusion in the Network does not guarantee that a threatened site will be protected or that preservation will occur. Nor does it guarantee that a program or facility will receive financial assistance for planning or development. However, by including an element in the Network, the NPS acknowledges its verifiable association to the Underground Railroad. This recognition may be used by advocates to draw support for their preservation and commemorative efforts.

Each listing in the Network is authorized to display the Network logo, which will tell the public and all interested entities that the NPS has evaluated the site, program, or facility and acknowledges its significant contribution to the Underground Railroad story.

What types of elements are listed in the Network to Freedom?

In addition to preserving historic sites associated with the Underground Railroad, the NPS, through the Network to Freedom, attempts to tell a comprehensive story of the people and events associated with the struggle for freedom from enslavement. Much of the historic physical evidence of places—the buildings and landscapes—important to the Underground Railroad have been altered or destroyed. To convey the magnitude of this history, it is necessary to recognize commemorative and interpretive efforts, in addition to identifying and preserving the sites that remain. Consequently, the Network was designed to include not only sites, but facilities and programs.

By law, the Network includes the following categories or “elements”:

•  All units and programs of the National Park Service determined by the Secretary of Interior to pertain to the Underground Railroad;

•  Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned properties pertaining to the Underground Railroad that have a verifiable connection to the Underground Railroad and that are included on, or determined by the Secretary to be eligible for inclusion on, the National Register of Historic Places; and

•  Other governmental and non-governmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to the Underground Railroad.

The last category, “governmental and non-governmental facilities and programs” is much more flexible and invites the inclusion of a variety of different categories of listings. Facilities and programs in the Network can have an educational, research, or interpretive scope, as long as they are directly related to, and verifiably associated with, the Underground Railroad. Facilities can include, but not be limited to, archives and libraries, research centers, museums and museum collections, and cultural or commemorative centers. Programs can be even more diverse in nature. They can include, but not be limited to, tours, interpretive talks, travelling exhibits, theater productions, living history presentations, and educational programs.

Finally, there are a multitude of Underground Railroad-related sites around the United States that have suffered the impacts of prolonged negligence or developments inconsistent with the historical character of the site. For whatever reasons, these past activities may have left the site ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Nonetheless, these sites are often integral parts of the Underground Railroad story. Their significance should not be lost, so the Network to Freedom is designed to include these impacted sites, with the provision that they must be associated with some type of documentation and interpretation.

What types of Underground Railroad associations are recognized in the Network?

Through its definition of the Underground Railroad as resistance to enslavement through flight, the Network to Freedom Program seeks to focus more attention on the freedom seekers themselves. Associations or connections to the Underground Railroad can encompass various activities. Common Underground Railroad associations include places of enslavement from which escapes occurred, water or overland routes, natural areas such as swamps or caves that were used as hiding places, churches with congregations active in the Underground Railroad (even if they were not used as safe houses), the location of legal challenges to the Fugitive Slave Act, maroon communities, destination settlements, and even locations where the kidnapping of freedom seekers occurred. These are just some of the possible associations that define Underground Railroad activity. The definition is meant to be fluid to incorporate and encourage new and original investigations, interpretations, and commemorative activities around the country.

While the Underground Railroad existed in the context of abolitionism and anti-slavery thought, those associations alone are not sufficient to include a site, facility, or program in the Network to Freedom. Participation in the Underground Railroad—escaping from enslavement or assisting the freedom seeker—was a violation of the federal fugitive slave acts and hence illegal. Through their acts of civil disobedience, these individuals demonstrated a higher level of commitment to the principles of freedom and self-determination. It is this level of commitment that is recognized in the Network to Freedom. The line between general abolitionism and specific support of the Underground Railroad can be difficult to discern. Underground Railroad activity would certainly include activities such as sheltering a freedom seeker on one's property or transporting them between safe havens. However, it might also include actions such as taking specific steps to assist freedom seekers or divert pursuers; raising or donating money, food, or clothing; facilitating communications among participants; or assisting in the establishment of destination communities.

What are the criteria for Network to Freedom eligibility?

The criteria for inclusion in the Network to Freedom are meant to establish a certain level of legitimacy, accountability, and accuracy in telling the Underground Railroad story. They have been designed, however, to be inclusive and flexible to include as wide a range of elements as possible.

•  Any element nominated to the Network must have a verifiable association to the Underground Railroad. These associations to the Underground Railroad must be verified using professional methods of historical research, documentation, and interpretation. Supporting evidence must be documented in the application through specific citations that would allow the reader to recreate the research.

•  Any site, facility, or program that applies for inclusion in the Network must have the consent of the owner, manager, or director. Public-owned properties must [also] have consent from the site manager. A letter of consent from the property owner must accompany each application.

Sites

•  Places that are ineligible for the National Register or that do not have a determination yet, may be eligible for the Network if they have a demonstrated and verified association to the Underground Railroad, and some type of interpretation such as a commemorative or interpretive marker, educational program, brochure, or site bulletin . The purpose of this requirement is to provide the public with some sort of contextual reference for understanding the significance of the site . The site must be identified by name and a statement that identifies its Underground Railroad association. Interpretation at a site that lacks integrity for eligibility to the National Register can take many forms:

•  interpretation by skilled guides

•  interpretive wayside exhibits

•  plaques

•  brochures

•  Sites on the National Register of Historic Places are not required to have an interpretive component to be eligible for inclusion in the Network. Because they physically look like historic places, they are able to convey a sense of the history better than a place where a completely modern building has been constructed on the site. Although not required, sites that are listed in the National Register are encouraged to develop interpretive signs or materials.

Facilities and Programs

Facilities and programs nominated to the Network to Freedom must exceed a minimum level of

•  accuracy

The NPS attempts to ensure that the history of the Underground Railroad is portrayed accurately by members of the Network to Freedom. Consequently the source materials on which interpretation and presentation of information are based, must be delineated in the application. Sources should include primary materials —letters, diaries, autobiographies, official records—where possible and scholarly publications. The sources should be as specific to the story presented in the program or facility as possible. This is, perhaps, the most important aspect of the application for supporting inclusion of the facility or program in the Network to Freedom, and often is the aspect most overlooked.

•  professionalism

The NPS recognizes that many facilities and programs around the country operate on a volunteer basis and rely on scarce resources. Therefore, rather than require professional qualifications for staff, the Network to Freedom focuses on a professional approach to activities such as interpretation, or curation that will indicate a high-quality presentation of the history of the Underground Railroad.

For example, basic professional standards that museums, archives, and libraries should meet are

•  a catalog system for their collections such as a finding aid or index for collections, and

•  an ability to demonstrate the provenance , or origin, source, authenticity, acquisition history, and ownership of their collections.

•  Operation

All facilities and programs must be in operation and not solely in the planning stages. To this end, they must be able to demonstrate a past and ongoing commitment to interpreting or studying the Underground Railroad. Programs must have occurred at least once in the past, and have a schedule for future activities.

Facilities

Due to their specialized nature, facilities must meet an additional requirement.

•  accessibility

A goal of the Network to Freedom is to increase public knowledge and understanding of the Underground Railroad. Therefore, access to information, broadly defined, is a critical component of facilities. Facilities such as libraries, archives, and museums, must demonstrate a willingness to share information with the general public and researchers. They must either have regular hours of operation or be open by appointment. To the extent that it is feasible, consideration of Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility issues should be addressed.

Facilities--Research centers

Research centers must meet two additional criteria. They should be able to demonstrate that

· the center director or key staff members have an appropriate level of training , which is usually recognized as at least having earned a Masters degree in an associated field of study, and

· a record of operations through a measurable output , such as a past and ongoing production of a journal or reports.

Programs

Due to their specialized nature, programs must meet two additional requirements.

•  Applications must demonstrate that the program has a record of consultation with appropriate partners, and community or regional support. Consultation is a critical stage in the development of any interpretation program. It is beneficial to consult with local residents and discuss potential impacts of new tours or programs on the area. It is important to include the perspectives of various local groups on Underground Railroad history. “Ownership” and interpretation of history is often a matter at issue.

•  A system must be established for the evaluation of the program's effectiveness. The goal of any interpretive or educational program is to increase knowledge and understanding of the audience. In order for program staff to ascertain whether the presentation of the information is accomplishing the educational objectives, a systematic method of feedback is essential. Insights gained from the evaluations should be used to refine the program in the future. Analyses of, and samples from, evaluations also assist NPS staff in reviewing program applications.

Is a separate application required for a site that is already listed in the national register to be included in the Network to Freedom?

It is quite possible that an interested site, facility, or program has received some type of official recognition at the local, State, or federal level in the past. However, Network to Freedom listing is a distinct recognition bestowed by a separate and independent program of the NPS. It is necessary, therefore, to document the case for inclusion according to Network standards.

As sites, programs, and facilities are added to the Network to Freedom, a unique database of the many stories and people of the Underground Railroad will be created. These applications will become part of a public record documenting the little known aspects of the Underground Railroad. Co mpleted applications form part of the Network's larger collection of sites, programs, and facilities associated with the Underground Railroad. This information is available to the public for research. As new information is added to the Network, scholarly interpretation of this important subject may be revised. The Network to Freedom also serves as a significant vehicle for presenting and publicizing the special stories associated with a site nationally and internationally.

The information presented in a completed Network to Freedom application should be self-contained and self-explanatory. The information should be clear and understandable to an individual who has no familiarity with, or has never seen the site, program, or facility described. While applications do not need to be lengthy, they should tell the full story of the Underground Railroad associations of the site, program, or facility.

What are the benefits of being listed in the Network to Freedom?

Specific advantages of inclusion in the Network include:

•  National recognition of the verifiable association of historic sites, programs, and facilities with the Underground Railroad.

•  Inclusion in a Network database featured on the Program's web site, which will include standard information on every site, program, and facility that has been reviewed and accepted into the Network.

•  Eligibility for Network to Freedom grants, when funds are appropriated, and assistance in locating project funding. The Network to Freedom Program is working with partners to identify funding sources and raise funds to support interpretation and commemoration efforts.

•  The use and display of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom logo.

•  Inclusion in a nationwide system of comparable sites, programs, and facilities that fosters networking and coordinating educational, preservation and commemorative activities.

A primary source is one that derives from participants, direct witnesses, or first recorders of events. Ideally, the source will have been created close to the time of the event it describes. Reminiscences that were recorded decades after an event took place are often less accurate than journals that were written contemporaneously.