A Gateway to Freedom
As early as 1821, enslaved blacks seeking freedom crossed the Ohio River from Louisville to New Albany. Antebellum and Civil War periods brought more fugitives. Many freedom-seekers were aided by other slaves, free blacks, and anti-slavery whites -- all risking violence and arrest. Not everyone who tried to escape succeeded.
(Reverse Side):
Many freedom-seekers coming through New Albany achieved their goal, traveling as far north as Canada. The Underground Railroad refers to a widespread network of diverse people in the nineteenth century who aided slaves escaping to freedom from the southern U.S.
Marker is at the intersection of East Main Street and East 3rd Street, on the right when traveling east on East Main Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
