![[Photograph: Tony Cohen]](images/walktony.jpg)
Welcome to the Walk to Canada!
The Walk to Canada
Tracing the Underground Railroad
Welcome to the Walk to Canada!
I am Anthony Cohen, an historian and author
who has spent the past three years researching
the Underground Railroad in the Washington,D.C. area,
revealing many of its secrets in the process.
Escaping slaves had to travel many hundreds of miles to reach freedom,
during this time they depended upon abolitionists and sympathizers to give
them shelter and assistance. This secret network of
people and places is known as the "Underground Railroad."
Although many of the towns and stations on the Underground Railroad are landmarks to the struggle for freedom from slavery, little is known of the secret routes which linked these brave communities. I decided to trace one of the possible routes of the Underground Railroad from Montgomery County, Maryland to Ontario, Canada.
Fugitive slaves walked hundreds of miles to reach their destinations. I, too, used only those methods of travel available in the times of slavery: no cars or buses, and mainly on foot. I limited my path to those roads which existed at the time, many of which are traveled upon today. It was my privilege to stay in many of the very homes which offered shelter to those weary travelers.
My journey began on May 4, 1996, in the Quaker community of Sandy Spring (once a station on the Underground Railroad) and wound its way through Pennsylvania and New York, ending on July 6 in the Ontario town of Amherstburg.
Many of us (and possibly you, too) have pondered the question, "Would I have helped out on the Underground Railroad if I lived during those times?" It is my personal belief that the Underground Railroad exists today within each one of us if we wish to find it.
The National Parks and Conservation Association, played its part by supporting this site on the World Wide Web which made it possible for thousands of people to follow my Walk and to learn about plans to incorporate the Underground Railroad as a unit of the National Park Service. I hope that you will take a moment to learn more about NPCA and the important work it is doing to preserve and protect our unique heritage, the National Park System.
My project did not end in July! I will be returning to many of the sites I visited on my first journey, and visiting others for the first time, with a film crew. We will release a documentary film and a book next year. If all goes well, this will take place during 1997.
I learned much on my Walk, but one of the most important lessons I learned was that there is a tremendous depth of goodwill in America. People of all ages, races, and socio-economic backgrounds responded with overwhelming generosity of spirit when I told them that I was researching the Underground Railroad. If you would like to join me in this work, please visit my new web site, The North Star which is dedicated to the study of all aspects of the Underground Railroad.
Tony's Weekly Reports (Last update 8/20)
Map and Itinerary: Tony's Route from Sandy Spring to Canada
Tony Answers Your Frequently Asked Questions
Explore
other Underground Railroad Sites on the Web
Learn More About NPCA