Underground Railroad: Special Resource Study/Management Concepts/Environmental Assessment

National Park Service - Denver Service Center

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 19th century, and reached its peak in the period 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 1990 Congress directed the National Park Service to study how to best interpret and commemorate the Underground Railroad, emphasizing the approximate routes taken by slaves escaping to freedom before the Civil War. This study was completed in cooperation with an advisory committee representing experts in historic preservation, African American history, United States history, and members of the general public with special interest and experience in the Underground Railroad. The most important findings of the study include the following: • The Underground Railroad story is nationally significant. • A few elements of the story are represented in existing NPS units and other sites, but many important resource types are not adequately represented and protected. • Many sites remain that meet established criteria for designation as national historic landmarks. • Many sites are in imminent danger of being lost or destroyed. • There is a tremendous amount of interest in the subject, but little organized coordination and communication among interested individuals and organizations. • Some sites have very high potential for preservation and visitor use. • No single site or route completely reflects and characterizes the Underground Railroad. The story and resources involve networks and regions rather than individual sites and trails. • A variety of partnership approaches would be most appropriate for the protection and interpretation of the Underground Railroad. These partnerships could include the federal, state, and local governments along with a variety of private sector involvement. The number of possible sites and structures associated with the Underground Railroad story is immense. The Underground Railroad is every route the enslaved took, or attempted to take, to freedom. It is a vast network of paths and roads, through swamps and over mountains, along and across rivers and even by sea, that cannot be documented with precision. This Special Resource Study involved consultation with 84 states, two territories, hundreds of interested individuals and organizations around the country, as well as connections with Canada and the Caribbean. The study considered 880 suggestions about potential sites of significance to the Underground Railroad story. Additional research has identified 42 sites as having the highest potential to meet established national historic landmark criteria for national significance. Detailed descriptions of 13 sites that appear to have the highest potential for preservation and interpretation are provided in the study. The study also includes an environmental assessment of the potential impacts of the concepts. Because the ideas presented in this study are conceptual, the potential consequences can only be addressed in a general way. Topics covered include impacts on natural, historic, archeological, and socioeconomic resources; impacts on visitor use and experience; and impacts on NPS units. Should any of the action-oriented concepts be implemented, specific environmental consequences would be evaluated during any necessary management planning or subsequent development planning.

Underground Railroad: Special Resource Study/Management Concepts/Environmental Assessment

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