The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has a page on their website dedicated to the Iowa Freedom Trail Project. The
information provided below is transcribed from their web page and
specific to the people and places in Linn County who were involved
in the Underground Railroad. Please check out the Iowa Freedom
Trail Project page provided by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
for more information about Iowa's involvement with the Underground
Railroad.
The
Underground Railroad was a network of people who helped fugitive slaves
escape slavery beginning in the late 1700s until the end of the Civil
War in 1865. It spanned northern and southern states, stretching from
Texas to Maine. Most fugitive slaves traveled from the Deep South to
Canada, but a small number traveled south to Mexico and the Caribbean.
During that time, assisting escaped slaves was considered an act of
theft according to U.S. law since they were legally considered
property. Anyone found guilty of assisting an escaped slave was subject
to fine and imprisonment.
As
the Underground Railroad network formed, people took on a variety of
roles within the system. Station masters, for example, hid slaves in
their homes or on their property, which was often referred to as a
station or depot within the network. Fugitive slaves were usually
referred to as passengers, cargo, fleece, or freight. Conductors were
responsible for guiding fugitive slaves along the Underground Railroad
routes or tracks. Others took a less active role. General agents, for
example, connected fugitive slaves to people who could help them on the
Underground Railroad and stockholders provided financial support to the
Underground Railroad network.
Source: The Iowa Freedom Trail Project |
