Local input gathered on proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Corridor

Apr. 23—Organizers of a proposed statewide byway are soliciting public input to focus on the local history of the Underground Railroad.

The group behind the project, the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State, currently is working to solidify plans to create the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Corridor, a 500-mile route that would connect 34 different sites across 21 counties.

"This is a particularly personal byway because it's about stories, it's about individuals and it's about their quest for freedom," project consultant Cheryl Hargrove said.

The byway route would be on local and state roads, following a similar route to the state thruway but not going on any highways. It is not the exact route Tubman and others used to help slaves escape to freedom, but is similar since they followed railroads and waterways.

This past Friday afternoon, the group held the first of multiple public meetings at Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises to gain input on the planned byway.

In addition to focusing on Tubman, the byway would also look to highlight other local history relating to the Underground Railroad and the abolition movement.

Ann Marie Linnabery, assistant director of the Niagara County Historical Society, said the byway would help spotlight some notable local history.

"(During tours) we include stories about the Underground Railroad and about Aaron Mossell who came here to Lockport in 1867, started a brickyard and was instrumental in getting the Lockport schools integrated in the 1870s. So there are a lot of stories that can be told," Linaberry said.

Mike Wrona, an employee of Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises, said that the Underground Railroad is a regular topic on tours they give to visiting groups from local schools.

He specifically mentioned Joseph Pickard, a former enslaved person who escaped to Lockport and evaded recapture with the help of local Quakers and canal workers.

"I speak to fourth graders who come here on field trips, (about) 55,000 students since I started here in 2010," Wrona said. "Joseph Pickard and the Underground Railroad are part of our presentation for every student that takes a tour."

After the public input process is complete, the Underground Railroad Consortium will need approval from the 21 counties that the byway would go through, as well as the state legislature and state Department of Transportation. Hargrove estimated that will take 18 months.

The consortium's long-term goal is to have the byway system include New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania and be designated an All-American Road. Such a designation opens the system to federal funding for maintenance and promotion.

Comments and input on the byway can be submitted at https://www.urcnys.org/corridor.