Although the term
Underground Railroad
implies a
progression of
well-ordered routes
leading north, it
was actually a broad
movement, with
people of varied
ethnic and religious
affiliation involved
in spontaneous and
organized activities
to assist enslaved
African Americans in
their efforts to
achieve freedom.
Actual routes, which
led to Canada, Mexico
and the Caribbean,
are difficult to
trace due to the
secrecy associated
with this illegal
activity.
- Guy Washington
National Park Service
Network to Freedom

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route begins on Mobile Bay in Alabama and journeys north. The route is broken down into 5 sections. You can access some of the historic highlights along the route by scrolling down the page or clicking specific links provided below:

• Section 1: Mobile Bay, AL to Fulton, MS
• Section 2: Fulton, MS to Owensboro, KY
• Section 3: Owensboro, KY to Milford, OH
• Section 4: Milford, OH to Erie, PA
• Section 5: Erie, PA to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
• Pittsburgh Spur: Pittsburgh, PA to Erie, PA

Section 5: Erie, PA to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

• Dunkirk Historical MuseumView Civil War exhibit and area history.
• Obadiah Baker Homestead & Historical Marker at E Quaker St & Baker Rd. This preserved house was a refuge station and part of the Quaker community that spoke out against slavery.
• Bicycle Pedaling History Museum is now closed.
• For more information about African American history in the Buffalo region visit the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau
• African American Heritage in Buffalo and Erie County download more information about the region.
• Michigan Street Baptist Church This Underground Railroad station is the oldest property continuously owned/operated by African Americans and was part of the history of Buffalo's African American community.
• Mary B Talbert Historical Marker lies adjacent to the Church. Talbert was a civil rights leader who helped organize the "Niagara Movement," which later became the NAACP.
• J Edward Nash House 36 Nash St., was named for the pastor of the Michigan Street Baptist Church who, with Mary Talbert, helped organize the "Niagara Movement", the forerunner to the NAACP.
• Motherland Connextions Inc. offers tours about Underground Railroad and slide shows.
• * African American Cultural Center at 350 Masten Ave in Buffalo showcases the talents of African American playwrights, directors and actors.
• * Langston Hughes Institute at 25 High St. in Buffalo develops, preserves and promotes African American heritage in the City of Buffalo.
• * Ujima Company, Inc. at 545 Elmwood Ave in Buffalo is a professional theatre company dedicated to the development and presentation of work by African Americans and other third world artists.
• Broderick Park & Historic Marker Before the Peace Bridge existed, this was an important launching site for freedom seekers who had been hiding in the Michigan Street Baptist Church, traveling by boat over the narrowest part of the Niagara River to Canada. Every year the Harriet Tubman 300 and the Buffalo Quarters Historical Society run a memorial service at this site to honor conductors who risked their lives to help freedom seekers gain independence in Canada.
• Niagara Freedom Trail Plaque describes the ferry system used by freedom seekers to cross the river to Canada. Located SE of the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada and near Historic Fort Erie.
• Dollhouse Museum (Bertie Hall) was a known safe house where smuggling operations were rumored to have taken place using an underground tunnel in the basement. 905-871-5833
• Little Africa Plaque at Niagara Parks Commission Marina (formerly Miller's Bay Marina). This site was originally the export point for lumber coming from "Little Africa," a settlement established in the 1840s.
• Norval Johnson Heritage Center and Library Visit this historic church which served freedom seekers as they made new lives in Canada and the library whose mission is to collect and preserve African American print and non-print materials for the Niagara region of Canada.
• Lewiston-Queenston Bridge known as the "Freedom Crossing" was used by Harriet Tubman en route from slavery in Maryland to her first home in Ontario in 1849. It became a major route for freedom seekers. Learn more about this region and the sites ahead at the Finding Freedom in the Niagara Region website.
• Underground Railroad Regional Interpretive Center is located at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. As two major Underground Railroad routes pass through Buffalo and Niagara Falls, the Center serves as a resource to the region, identifying and linking the public to sites.
• * Stations on the UGRR Public Sculpture Project is working to commemorate Underground Railroad sites in the region.
• Freedom Run Winery is located in Lockport, NY on the spur that takes you to Murphy's Orchards. Freedom Run Winery is owned by the Manning family and celebrates and supports Freedom for all. Their mission is to give back what the land has gracefully given them by producing premium wines and champagne in order to dedicate service to the community and to others.
• Murphy's Orchards is on a spur route back into New York state. This privately owned farm was part of the Underground Railroad from 1850-1861. The farmhouse, barn, orchards and landscape remain as they did 150 yrs ago, complete with viewable hiding place in the barn.
• Colored Corps Historic Plaque in Queenston, Ontario Canada is where the Canadian Black Militia formed at the start of the War of 1812. They assembled here and set the precedent for units established elsewhere in Canada.
• Negro Burial Ground Historic Plaque in Niagara-on-the-Lake was previously the Calvinistic Baptist Church. John Oakley, a former British soldier, became pastor to the mostly Black congregation.
• St. Catharines In 1793, the "Upper Canada Act Against Slavery" was passed, allowing Blacks aged 25 years and older freedom from slavery in Canada. This created a safe haven for African American runaway slaves and made Canada the destination for many who fled. As a result, hundreds of escaped slaves settled in St. Catharines and created a vibrant Black community
• St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canal Centre Experience the rich legacy of Niagara's African Canadians in the integrated Follow the North Star exhibit.
• Anthony Burns Grave Site & Victoria Lawn Cemetery Historic marker honors Rev. Anthony Burns, the last person tried under the Fugitive Slave Act in Massachusetts.
• Richard Pierpoint Historic Marker in Centennial Park honors Pierpoint's years of military service to the Crown.
• Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural Service honors the “Moses” of her people who lived in St. Catharines for eight years. Call 905-682-0993 for more information.
• The BME Church (Salem Chapel) Many freedom seekers attended church and meetings at this Church, including Harriet Tubman. The Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church was the first Black church in St. Catharines. Originally known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the name was changed to reflect their loyalty to the British Empire. Contact Ada Summers 905-984-6769 for more information.
• Sheffield's Black Cultural Museum is located 2 miles west of Collingwood on Long Point Road. View slave artifacts and learn the history of early Black Pioneers who settled this region.
• Owen Sound developed and grew as freedom seekers settled in the area.  Learn more about the freedom seekers who began arriving around 1830 from the Owen Sound Black History website.  The City of Owen Sound was first named Sydenham and officially changed the name to Owen Sound in 1857.
• BME Church served the needs of former slaves arriving on the Underground Railroad and are considered the Founders of the Annual Emancipation Day Celebration that takes place the first weekend of August since 1862.
• Grey Roots Museum & Archives provides a living link for the legacies of the past, artifacts and stories. See the exhibit From Slavery to Freedom, African Canadians in Grey County.
• Black History Cairn at Harrison Park. In 2004, this commemorative Cairn, (Cairn defined as "a rounded heap of stones") was unveiled as a memorial to Owen Sound's Black settlers.

* this is an additional site not listed on our maps

• Section 1: Mobile Bay, AL to Fulton, MS
• Section 2: Fulton, MS to Owensboro, KY
• Section 3: Owensboro, KY to Milford, OH
• Section 4: Milford, OH to Erie, PA
• Section 5: Erie, PA to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
• Pittsburgh Spur: Pittsburgh, PA to Erie, PA

Thanks to REI for their generous support of the
Underground Railroad Bicycle Route project.