A look into the rich history of the Adirondacks.

Imagine stepping out of the shadows, guided only by the light of the North Star and the security of darkness, and running. Pushing yourself through the unknown to escape the horrors and injustices of your past. Hiding in the dangerous mountains and winding valleys of the Adirondacks, you search for the kindness of strangers and your first breath of freedom.

Hundreds of slaves endured this dangerous trek night after night as they fled through the Champlain Valley, the final stretch of the Underground Railroad before they reached the sanctuary of Canada.

The abolitionist movement spread across New York and Vermont and provided a key passageway on the route to freedom. Fleeing slaves traveled by word of mouth as they tried to outrun the determined slave catchers. The Champlain Valley was the last stop for many slaves in their search for freedom.

New York wasn't the destination of choice for just freed slaves, but also for many leaders of the anti-slavery movement. Abolitionists including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown were proud to call New York home. Other avid abolitionists, including Sojourner Truth and Gerrit Smith, were born and raised in New York.

Former slave Harriet Tubman helped slaves escape through the Underground Railroad.

“There's so much history in our own backyard,” said Don Papson, president of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. “We have a rich history. A lot of activity took place here.”

The story behind the Haff-Smith-Stafford Farm

Many local, private Underground Railroad sites still exist today. If you wander through the foothills of the Adirondacks, you're bound to come across at least a few original sites. The Haff-Smith-Stafford farm on Union Road in Peru, New York, is one of the more famous local sites that still exists today.

The barn's history has intrigued visitors for the past 140 years. It was first owned by John Haff, a slave owner who once forced a runaway slave to walk, bleeding and bound, from the Essex ferry back to his Peru farm. Haff's son, Abram, a minister and founding member of the Clinton Country Anti-Slavery Society, eventually sold the property to Stephen Keese Smith, an active participant in the Underground Railroad movement. In 1947, the Stafford family purchased the legendary farm in an effort to preserve its rich history.

The legacy of the Dimick home

Near Malone, New York, on Ft. Covington Road, exists the home of Underground Railroad station conductor Major Dimick. It's believed that Dimick hid fugitive slaves in a stone structure in the home's basement.

Local church with ties to the Underground Railroad

The old Baptist Church in Keeseville, New York, once housed an Anti-Slavery Society meeting and welcomed two of the most prominent abolitionists-John Brown and Gerrit Smith. According to legend, a neglected Old Burial Ground known as the “Negro Cemetery,” exists behind the old church. Many people believe that several fugitive slaves were buried there.

“I know a lot of old farm houses around here were part of the Underground Railroad,” says Katie Dennie, a local Peru resident.

Today, the Underground Railroad has been gaining recognition as an significant piece of our local history and sites continue to serve as some of the most distinguished landmarks of our region. Many historians have begun to piece together the hidden passageways and aged legends in an attempt to rediscover the role of the Adirondacks in the abolitionist movement.

The North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association was chartered in 2005, through the joint efforts of the Red Hummingbird Society in Plattsburgh and the Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown. The Association was designed to ‘research, preserve, and interpret the history of slavery and abolition” throughout the Lake Champlain corridor. The association has dedicated itself to raising awareness within the community about key areas in the anti-slavery movement.

“We want to bring attention to the passageways, and get more people to know about our history,” remarked Papson, who has been busy attending conferences and accepting speaking engagements to promote the rich history of the Champlain Valley.

The association is anticipating the opening of a new interpretative center at the vacant Estus House at Ausable Chasm. Renovations for the new center are expected to begin this summer.

In an effort to preserve many of the historic sites, Gov. George Pataki created the Underground Railroad Heritage Trail, which currently consists of 24 public sites associated with the anti-slavery movement. Each site was determined by a rigid documentation criteria and will now qualify for additional state funding.

Clinton, Franklin, and Essex counties are home to four of the heritage trail sites. The Plattsburgh First Presbyterian Church was the site of anti-slavery meetings, as was the First Congregational Church of Malone in Franklin County.

“It's documented that there were abolitionist meetings held here,” explained Reverend Jon Werley, of the First Congregational Church, who gives frequent group and individual guided tours to the hidden tunnels in the basement. "People who had heard about the tunnels come to investigate."

A series of renovations at the church have removed the original hidden rooms, but the legend of the tunnels still bring in a number of curious visitors.

The John Brown Farm in Lake Placid was also selected to be part of the Heritage Trail in recognition of Brown's influential role in the anti-slavery movement and for his efforts to help fugitive slaves from the sanctuary of his rented cabin. The Old County Courthouse in Elizabethtown was also recognized as a site of anti-slavery meetings and for once holding the body of John Brown overnight.

Landscape view of the John Brown Farm courtesy of the John Brown Farm

“Brown was such an activist,” says Brendan Mills, the site manager at the John Brown Farm. “We know he moved slaves out of his cabin.”

In addition to the Heritage Trail, Governor Pataki declared June 19 as “Juneteenth Freedom Day” within the state of New York in 2004. It commemorates the end of slavery in the South in accordance to the Emancipation Proclamation, and emphasizes the education of slavery in the United States. Gov. Pataki has also established March 10 as a day to commemorate Harriet Tubman for her brave acts of heroism and her impact on the Underground Railroad.

The Adirondacks have finally begun to gain recognition for its pivotal role in the Underground Railroad movement. Thousands of fugitive slaves found sanctuary in the thick forests of the Northeast, on their route to freedom.

Have you ever visited any of sites along the Underground Railroad?

Famous People who helped the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks:

John Brown: Brown became a martyr in the abolitionist movement. He gave his life fighting for freedom and is best known for his failed raid on Harper's Ferry. Brown was one of the most influential activists in the fight to end slavery. He moved to New York in 1849, where he organized and strengthened the efforts of the Underground Railroad.

Gerrit Smith : A prominent, wealthy businessman who became an influential advocate for the anti-slavery movement. His efforts were a great contribution to the Underground Railroad of the Northeast.

Harriet Tubman: A freed slave herself, Tubman risked her life to help more than 300 slaves travel through the Northeast passageways on their way to Canada. She was the most prominent ‘conductor' on the Underground Railroad. She was a significant figure in the abolitionist movement and later resided in New York.

Additional Resources about the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks:

-“Northward to Freedom: Stories of the North Country Underground Railroad,” an educational DVD released in 2005 by the Red Hummingbird Foundation. The film was researched and filmed locally.

- The North Country Lantern is a seasonal newsletter by the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. For more information, contact Don Papson at 561-0277.

-Tom Calarco's, “The Underground Railroad in the Adirondack Region.” Published in 2004, it offers readers an in-depth look into the Underground Railroad in the Northeast.

-Tom Calarco's, “The Underground Railroad Conductor.” Published in 2003: A Guide to Underground Railroad Sites in Eastern New York and a companion to the Underground Railroad in the Adirondacks.

-National Geographic offers a unique online slideshow about the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. It's educational and informative and a great tool for many teachers. Check it out at their website.

-PBS presents a informative documentary about the Underground Railroad. To learn more about “Judgment Day-The Underground Railroad,” visit PBS's website.