Riding the Underground Railroad

Most Americans associate the month of February with the pink hearts and red roses of Valentine’s Day, but there is also President’s Day, Groundhog Day, and, thanks to the U.S. Census Bureau, February has now been proclaimed “Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month.”

But don’t forget that February is also Black History Month, during which time we give special recognition to the contributions of African-Americans to our culture. How can you incorporate honoring this rich history into your upcoming travels?

Consider hopping onboard the Underground Railroad.

Black History Month was established in 1976, chosen in deference to the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The Underground Railroad refers to a network of secret routes, transportation and safe houses which helped escaping slaves travel northbound. The covert system was coordinated by white and Native American abolitionist sympathizers, free blacks and former slaves. In keeping with the railroad code, safe houses were referred to as “stations” and “depots” (hosts were called “stationmasters”). The Underground Railroad covered several thousand miles, and the routes tended to be circuitous and winding, designed to throw off trackers and bounty hunters.

Here are just a few locations where you can incorporate the Railroad into your travel experiences:

Ride to Freedom

You can join the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) by riding along any portion of the Underground Railroad bike path. The 2,058-mile route commences in Mobile, Alabama, and ends in Owen Sound, Ontario. The destination point is an unusual region, as it marks the last terminal of the Underground Railroad, and was a major settling point for escaped slaves. This year marks the town’s 145th annual Emancipation Picnic, featuring speakers’ forums, gospel music, art and a townwide picnic. For more information on Owen Sound’s Emancipation Picnic, visit www.emancipation.ca.

The ACA is hosting the first-ever Underground Railroad Event Tour that covers the entire route, taking place April 14-May 31. Although the trip is sold out, there will be future tours scheduled through the ACA. The 48-day trip will average about 53 miles per day of moderate difficulty, and riders will be camping out and cooking their own meals along the way.

For shorter hauls, the Underground Railroad Celebration Ride will kick off July 30 and run through August 5, covering about 250 miles from Buffalo, New York, to Owen Sound. Along the road, there will be several historic stops with visits from local history experts, city officials and bicycle-club representatives. At the end of the road, riders will be able to participate in the Emancipation Festival on August 4, before being shuttled back to Buffalo to head home. The ride is $699 per person, and includes catered meals. For more information, visit www.adventurecycling.org/ugrr/index.cfm.

If you want to ride any part of the Railroad bike path on your own, you can purchase maps on the ACA website, www.adventurecycling.org/ugrr/ugrrprojectdesc.cfm. The first two sections of the route, from Mobile to Owensboro, Kentucky, are currently available, and the remaining three maps will be on sale February 14.

Freedom Inns

Of course, you don’t need a bike to explore the Underground Railroad. In recognition of Black History Month, the online resource BedandBreakfast.com has compiled a list of B&Bs that were once stations along the route of the Underground Railroad. You can choose to follow your own pre-set route, or choose a couple of stops to learn about the location’s history and its role in the emancipation movement. Below are a few to get you started…(for a complete list, visit www.BedandBreakfast.com)

Christopher’s B&B, Newport, KY: Throughout 2007, stay in a junior Jacuzzi room, and receive two adult tickets to see the National Underground Railroad Museum across the river in Cincinnati. Learn how enslaved black Americans were able to attain their freedom against overwhelming odds through a secret network of people and places. The package price of $135 includes overnight accommodations, breakfast for two, and two tickets to the museum. Additional nights may be added for $95 plus tax. 859-491-9354

Inn by the Mill, Saint Johnsville, NY: The inn is comprised of a collection of 19th century buildings, including a barn, carriage house, hog house, and a stone grist mill built alongside the Timmerman Creek. The mill was once part of the Underground Railroad and has three secret rooms below the basement floor. Each night, the water to the 30-foot waterwheel was shut off, allowing slaves to pass safely through the 1,000-foot-long water tunnel. Rates range from $140 to $300 per night. 518-568-2388, www.innbythemill.com/

Six Acres B&B, Cincinnati, OH: The Underground Railroad was very active in Southeast Ohio. Many Quaker families, along with others in the community, courageously hid and conducted freedom seekers towards Canada. This beautiful home was built between 1850 and 1860 by Zebulon Strong, noted abolitionist and participant in the Underground Railroad. Nightly rates are $99 to $1,500 (for the entire house). (513) 541-0873, www.sixacresbb.com

Columbian Inn, A Bed and Breakfast, Columbia, PA: Pennsylvania was filled with stops on the Underground Railroad, as the Amish and the Quakers were particularly sympathetic to the desperate search for freedom. This inn was a known stop along the Underground Railroad. Rooms are $100-$125 per night. 800-422-5869, www.columbianinn.com

Speedwell Forge B&B, Lititz, PA: During Black History Month, explore the plight of escaping slaves with the Bethel AME “Living the Experience” tour. This eye-opening and spiritually moving experience begins and ends at the Lancaster Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a station on the Underground Railroad. Learn how the Amish played a part, crafting quilts that led people to safety. Throughout February, stay two nights (including a Friday or Saturday night) and receive two complimentary tour tickets, a $46 value. Rooms and suites are $125 to $225 per night. 877-EST-1760, www.speedwellforge.com

White Pines Victorian Lodge, Sturgeon Bay, WI: While remodeling, the former owners realized there was a hollow area behind a wall. They broke through and found a tiny room containing a table, chair, and an old newspaper with an article about the house being part of the Underground Railroad. Local lore explains that escaped slaves were hidden here until they were able to escape via schooner to Canada. Rates are $75 to $150 per night. 920-746-8264, www.whitepineslodge.com

Other Notable Points

The Underground Railroad National Register Travel Itinerary is a resource for notable sites in the emancipation movement. National Register sites include: abolitionist John Brown’s cabin, in Osawatomie, Kansas, which was the site of frequent abolitionist activities and meetings; the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, the Cincinnati home of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (you can also visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut, www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org); and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington DC. For more information, visit www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground

The Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing, Ohio, features an extensive collection of publications, books, memorabilia and other historical items commemorating the abolitionist movement and Ohio Valley’s connection with the Underground Railroad. Coming up is a special exhibit entitled “The Freedom Seekers: Ohio and the Underground Railroad.” This exhibit includes displays such a route maps, slave posters and torture devices used to detain and punish slaves. 740-968-2080, www.ugrrf.org

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a comprehensive museum featuring multimedia exhibits, including an overview of the Underground Railroad, true stories from the 19th century, an authentic “slave pen,” and a new exhibition of contemporary slavery around the world. Tickets are $12 per person, $8 for children. 513-333-7500, www.freedomcenter.org

Motherland Connextions offers a Freedom Seekers Tour of Niagara, taking you on a 3-4 hour van tour through the towns and sites around Niagara Falls where freedom seekers traveled. Railroad “conductors” (dressed in period clothes) will show you notable sites such as the Michigan Street Baptist Church and the oldest property in Buffalo continuously owned and occupied by African-Americans, as well as a view of the main attraction, Niagara Falls. Adult tickets are $65, and children are $35. (866) 726-0864, www.motherlandconnextions.com

Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom and became one of the most famous names in the abolitionist movement. After the Civil War, she moved to Auburn, NY, where she founded the Harriet Tubman Home, a two story brick home that now offers tours and regular events to memorialize the abolitionist’s life and work. (315) 252-2081. The Harriet Tubman Museum is located in her birthplace of Cambridge, Maryland, (410) 228-0401. The small museum offers tours of some of the places in the county where she lived, relating stories and anecdotes about Tubman’s life.

By Sarika Chawla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Want more travels with a historical component? Try Historic Hotels: Saved From the Wrecking Ball.

Don’t miss our new article: Black History Month Travel.