Reform, Religion and the Underground in Western New York

Underground Railroad in Western New York

The Underground Railroad, assisting fugitive slaves on their escape from bondage to freedom in Canada, is recalled in local stories and legends in Western New York but has not been well documented. How well organized was the URR? How did it work? Who participated? How well organized was the effort? Was it in fact a well organized and well known (to the appropriate people) network regularly assisting fugitives to safety, or was it a much more ad-hoc effort by individuals who were willing to assist fugitives that needed help if such people appeared in their community or were directed to their homes?

To answer these questions, and to try to understand the nature of the Underground Railroad, I have set up this web site to compile data on fugitive slaves in Western New York. For the purposes of this site, Western New York is defined as the counties of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Wyoming and Allegany. However, these boundaries only mark out the area of primary research. Fugitive slaves arrived in western New York from the more easterly portions of New York State and from western Pennsylvania, either traveling north or, at least in some instances, traveling east along the shores of Lake Erie from Ohio. Some fugitives, particularly before the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, remained in western New York, but others traveled on to Canada, crossing at several places along the Niagara River, or traveled on the lake boats. The connections of the URR with free black communities in Canada, particularly those in St. Catharines and elsewhere in the Niagara Peninsula, are an important part of the URR story.

The intention of this site is to compile documentation on what is known, or thought to be known, about URR and related activities in Western New York, and to encourage further research. Some incidents and individuals are relatively well documented. Eber Pettit of Versailles in Chautauqua County wrote a book about his experiences as an URR agent. Other individuals and "station house" sites are less well documented and in some cases merely speculation. Not every house with a hidden room or cellar was a station. Not everyone known as an ardent abolitionist was necessarily an URR station agent.