My family, then Hicksite Quakers, had a stopping place on the UGRR in Onondaga County, Town of Van Buren.

>>> [log in to unmask] 01/29/01 10:35PM >>>
I think an attempt to delineate routes, even if general in nature, serves the
glory of the slaves who escaped and the people who helped them. For whatever
"play it by ear" situations there may have been, many regular stops and routes
did exist -- and had to in order for continuity and success. The disappearance
after the Civil War of the knowledge of the Underground Railroad was more by
burial than loss, I believe. Racism, bitterness about the extraordinary
casualties incurred, and the desire to get on with life were undoubtedly
contributing factors. To make an effort to trace the Underground Railroad, note
its participants, black and white, is an effort to show a moment in our history
when humanity triumphed over racial differences. It can never be complete
history, but it can be more complete...and fulfilling...than it is now.
Joe Cutshall-King

carol kammen wrote:

> >    Does anyone know of a definitive map of the  Underground Railroad
> >stations in New York State?  I need to be able to  obtain rights or
> >permission to use it for a book on NY women which will include  Harriet
> >Tubman. Thanks so much, Antonia Petrash
>
>         I do not know how anyone else will respond to this posting, and
> what I have to say reflects not at all on the project: I am delighted to
> know that Harriet Tubman is being written about and that there is a
> forthcoming book on New York women.  That is all to the good.
>
>         The request for a "definitive map of the Underground Railroad
> stations," however, is a bit worrisome.  There are certainly spots where
> fugitives from slavery were housed and some of those are well documented.
> I could point to the very careful program underway in Oswego County or Milt
> Sernett's fine forthcoming book (Syracuse University Press) that will give
> a good deal of information about such things. And certainly, John Jones'
> work in Elmira is exceedingly significant.
>
>         But a "definitive map" of such places is something of a
> contradiction in terms.  The activity was illegal and conducted in a
> clandestine manner for the protection of the fugitives and of those who
> helped them.  It was not as if an escaping slave from Virginia was given a
> triple A road map at New York's border.  There was no map, nor should we --
> to my way of thinking -- endorse any particular route and way as definitive
> because of the very nature of the activity.  If we "sanction" a particular
> way, we imply that that was the route to be taken when in truth, those who
> came into New York (and probably those who went elsewhere) were sent the
> way that was best at that moment, or sent where someone had a contact who
> could be trusted, or made his or her way as best he could.  It was
> patchwork, it was often made up on the spot, and for the most part getting
> near Lake Ontario or to Buffalo was the major goal.
>
>         Fugitives were certainly helped throughout New York.  Of that we
> can be proud.  But there were here plenty of other people who would have
> been indifferent to their cause, and some who would have gladly turned them
> back and collected the reward.  Just look at the Jerry case in Syracuse to
> see all the various sides at work.
>
>         So I do wish this project well, in fact, I look forward to it.  But
> let's not certify a map or route or way without recognizing the complexity
> of the situation and the risks for all concerned.
>
>                 Carol Kammen

--
________________________________
Joseph A. Cutshall-King
Grant Writing/Fund Raising Services
  Associate of Charles R. Putney, Development Services for Nonprofits;
Bennington, VT

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693 County Route 49
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