Many people know the story of Harriet Tubman, a fugitive slave who was a conductor of the Underground Railroad and made dozens of trips from South to North, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.
Tubman used South Jersey sites on some of her passages and worked in a Cape May hotels over several summers to earn money for her journeys. Cape May opened a museum in her honor in recent years.
New Jersey — and South Jersey in particular — played a critical role in the success of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses, safe spaces and secret routes.
Abolitionists often provided shelter, food and supplies to assist runaway slaves in their pursuit of freedom.
South Jersey had dozens of documented stops on the Underground Railroad, some more famous than others.
Here are some Underground Railroad sites/towns in South Jersey:
Bethel Othello African Methodist Episcopal Church, Springtown
This historic church dates from between 1838 and 1841, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It has been documented as a stop on the Underground Railroad that was used by Tubman.