Enslaved people had been running away to f reedom since before the United States was even a country. It was the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act\, however\, that incentivized bounty hunters to find th e escapees and return them to their Southern masters for handsome monetary reward.
\nThe term &lsquo\;underground railroad&rsquo\; came about in the early 1830s when the &lsquo\;owner&rsquo\; of Tice Davids\, a man w ho escaped from Kentucky to freedom in Ohio\, blamed the &lsquo\;undergrou nd railroad&rsquo\; for his loss. After that\, railroad jargon was adopted to describe the people and the stops involved in shepherding the enslaved to freedom. Private homes\, African Methodist Episcopal churches\, and sc hoolhouses\, all operated by &ldquo\;stationmasters&rdquo\;\, served as hi ding places for the freedom seekers. The sites frequently contained secret rooms\, compartments\, and crawl spaces where the fugitives could eat\, r est\, and hide when necessary.
\nMontgomery has no documented sites
on the Underground railroad although nearby municipalities of
Princet
on and Hopewell do.
The \;Van Harlingen Historical Society and the Somerset County Library System is proud to host this unique program i n collaboration. \;
\nhttps://sclsnj.libnet.info/event/12797884 URL;VALUE=URI:https://sclsnj.libnet.info/event/12797884 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR