“The Journey to Freedom” Underground Railroad Tour
By Dennis Doyle, Director of Sales & Marketing, Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

“The Underground Railroad was perhaps the most dramatic protest action against slavery in United States history.  It was a clandestine operation that began during the colonial period, later became part of organized abolitionist activity in the 19^th century, and reached its peak in the period of 1830-1865.  The story of the Underground Railroad is one of individual sacrifice and heroism in the efforts of enslaved people to reach freedom from bondage.” *

In 1998, Public Act 409 established the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission, which in part provided for the implementation of a master plan to promote and preserve the history of the Freedom Trail and Underground Railroad in the state of Michigan.  The Michigan Freedom Trail Commission encourages applications to the Network to Freedom Program and is developing a Michigan program for listing historic sites, programs and facilities within the state.

In May of 1999, the African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM), headed by President Willie Edwards decided that based upon certain archival evidence, there existed a detailed history of Underground Railroad Activity in Washtenaw County.  The AACHM then commissioned a project to complete research and documentation for an Underground Railroad Tour.  Carol Mull, historical researcher and commissioner for the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission, along with doctoral candidate, Kidada Williams, completed necessary research and data collection over a two year time period—identifying 32 sites in the Washtenaw County area—by utilizing state birth records, plat maps, and census records.

The result of these efforts led to the creation of “The Journey to Freedom” Underground Railroad tour in 2002.  The tour covers 32 historical sites within Washtenaw County, with approximately one half of those sites in Ann Arbor and the other half in Ypsilanti, Michigan.  Among the discovered sites was the home of the Reverend Guy Beckley, a staunch abolitionist.  Beckley, in partnership with Theodore Foster, edited and published in the 1840s the Signal of Liberty, an antislavery newspaper.  Original copies of the newspaper are presently on display at the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor.  Other historically significant sites highlighted on the tours include the Michigan Anti Slavery Plaque—commemorating the first annual meeting of the Michigan Anti Slavery Society—and the Harwood Farm and cemetery.

Most importantly, and perhaps the most heart rendering aspect of the tour, are stories of the fearless individuals who risked their lives on the journey to freedom and the personal accounts of those helping in the clandestine operation.  Whites and blacks alike stood side by side at great peril to ensure the rights of individuals seeking freedom from the oppression of slavery.

For further information on the “Journey to Freedom” tour, contact the Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-888-9487 or www.annarbor.org/meetingsandtours/itineraries.asp.