Indiana as the “Crossroads of America” takes on a whole new meaning when discussing the Underground Railroad. The state served as a significant route along the storied passageway. Slaves risked their lives crossing the Ohio River, the southern border of the state, on their way to a lifetime of freedom in the “promised land.”
Collecting these oral histories, discovering documents, identifying routes and working to protect and preserve found Underground Railroad sites in Indiana is a significant initiative of Hoosiers across the state. The Historic Preservation and Archaeology department of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and a grassroots organization called Indiana Freedom Trails are leading the way in educating the public on Indiana’s ties to the Underground Railroad.
“We were in close proximity to slavery. We’re right across from Kentucky. It pushed people to participate both ways,” said Jeannie Regan-Dinius, director of special initiatives for the IDNR. “Some people think we were a free state, but there was slavery here too. We also had ‘radical’ groups who did not participate and helped fugitive slaves along their way.”
She added that Indiana was unfortunately a reverse Underground Railroad route, allowing fugitive slave hunters to return escaped slaves back to the south. During that time, slave catching was more lucrative than holding down a traditional job.
“My research has focused on how African-Americans participated in their own emancipation,” said Dona Stokes-Lucas, ® co chair of the Indiana Freedom Trails. “I did the research which determined that Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Indianapolis was a site. Through that research that got Bethel the Network to Freedom designation, I realized the bigger part of the story was AME churches’ help throughout the south, Indiana and even in Canada.”
Stokes-Lucas said an 1848 map shows three primary routes through Indiana: one that leads to the west, one that goes through the center of the state, and another that leads to the east. All routes pointed North.
“Those routes could change over the years,” noted Stokes-Lucas. “But we do have an idea on how they traveled.”
She then tells a story of a Tennessee escapee that came through southern Indiana into Corydon, Indiana’s first state capital. From there, he was instructed to head toward Indianapolis and seek a man named Overalls who helped him reach South Bend and eventually made his way to Michigan and finally Canada.
Another piece of history Stokes-Lucas found is about a Georgia couple that sought freedom via an actual train.
“The wife was so pale, she could pass for white. She dressed up as a man and couldn’t write. She put her writing hand in a sling and her husband passed as her slave,” said Stokes-Lucas. “They became creative on how to escape. Some had financial means. It’s a misnomer that all slaves were poor and ragged.”
Efforts in Indiana to thoroughly investigate the Underground Railroad is part of a larger initiative called Network to Freedom through the National Park Service.
Network to Freedom is a national program to coordinate preservation and education efforts of Underground Railroad sites. The project is supported by states and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act passed in 1998 under the President Bill Clinton Administration.
“Research done on this has barely scratched the surface on this topic. And we find things all the time,” said Regan-Dinius. “We just want to get accurate information out to people because there are so many myths.”
To help complete this work, Underground Railroad historians encourage the public to visit places that are currently identified as an Underground Railroad site and learn about it; encourage Hoosier schools to teach about the topic accurately; and for avid historians, assist the IDNR and Indiana Freedom Trails in their research.
“This is everyone’s history. It’s important for all Hoosiers to understand this horrible institution, but learn how Hoosiers stepped up to help,” said Regan-Dinius. “It takes courage to run away like the slaves did. We can all learn lessons of strength.”
For more information, contact Indiana Freedom Trails at (317) 576-0041 or visit Indianafreedomtrails.org; Indiana Department of Natural Resources at In.gov/dnr/historic; or the National Park Service at (402) 661-1590 or Nps.gov/subjects/ugrr.
