Trust and Teamwork On the Underground Railroad

“Underground Railroad” usually refers to a network of individuals who helped slaves in the Upper South in their efforts to escape to freedom into the northern states or Canada. Although Quakers were assisting such efforts in the 1780s, the term gained currency in the 1830s, which was a period when northern abolitionists became more vocal and southerners became more suspicious of the abolitionists’ threat to their peculiar institution.

Anne Hagedorn (author of Beyond the River), award winning author and journalist, will speak about the network of individuals in Kentucky and Ohio who developed connections based on trust to work as a team to help fugitive slaves escape into freedom. Her narrative is counter to other historians’ understanding of the railroad. The popular perception is of a well-coordinated system of Quaker, Covenanter, and Methodist “conductors” secretly helping fugitives from “station” to “station”. Most likely, however, spontaneity, fugitive resourcefulness, and luck were the determining factors in a successful escape, according to prevailing historical interpretations. 

This program is a joint presentation of the Scott County Historical Society and the Scott County Public Library.