ALBANY — Few walking by at the Albany Rural Cemetery would have known they were in the presence of Civil War heroes. But for decades in Albany, Harriet and Stephen Myers were laid to rest without a headstone, an inconspicuous resting place for two pivotal figures in the Underground Railroad movement.
“The Underground Railroad is an important part of American history,” said Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC) co-founder Paul Stewart. “Within that story, Stephen and Harriet’s role is highly important.”
The Myers family in Albany helped to bring freedom seekers traveling along the Underground Railroad to safety, dangerous work that required immense courage. They and their colleagues were breaking state and federal law. Stephen Myers, a formerly enslaved man who bought his freedom, and his wife, Harriet, were the central players for the movement into the 1850s…