Deep in the depths of America’s history lies the Underground Railroad, a system of secret routes, safe houses and efforts made in order to free enslaved people during the 1800s.
Documented sites on the route lie throughout Delaware, where the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad byway — which spans 125 miles — passes through, once leading thousands of enslaved individuals to freedom.
Here are some of those sites across the state.
Market Street Bridge and Tubman-Garrett Park
Although one of the most difficult spots in the system due to being a high-patrol area, the Market Street Bridge and Tubman-Garrett Park are some of the most notable spots for the Underground Railroad in the state. Multiple accounts by Tubman have been noted from the area, and the site is part of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The park is dedicated to Tubman and Thomas Garrett, an American abolitionist, both leaders in the Underground Railroad movement.
According to the Harriet Tubman Byway website, “Tubman and her charges were once trapped on the south side of the river by the constables and slave catchers on the lookout for them. Garrett sent a false-bottomed wagon, driven by African American bricklayers, who concealed the group beneath a load of bricks. They successfully passed over the bridge and by authorities unnoticed.”