The Underground Railroad

In the pre-Civil War period, prominent Delaware abolitionists including Thomas Garrett, John Hunn, Ezekial Jenkins, Samual D. Burris, and many others worked with Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave from Dorchester County, Maryland, who was often called the "Moses of her people." Their efforts were of great importance to Delaware and the United States of America. At Thomas Garrett's home at 227 Shipley Street in Wilmington, Delaware, more than 2,700 slaves received financial assistance, direction, and moral encouragement as they sought freedom from bondage. No other place along the underground network handled as much human traffic as the Garrett House, and for many fugitive slaves traveling to Philadelphia and other northern points, Wilmington became known as "a last stop before freedom."

Newport, Delaware · United States