 The Underground Railroad was part of the abolitionist movement to eliminate slavery in America. In the state of New York, organized abolitionism began in Oneida County in the early 1830s. Local activists were inspired by the words and examples of Beriah Green and his students at the Oneida Institute. By the Fall of 1835 there were 17 anti-slave societies throughout Oneida County. Soon there were many Underground Railroad stations as well.
The people of Oneida County were part of a dramatic chapter in the nation's history. Black and White men and women not only voiced opposition to slavery, but stood behind their words. They did so at their peril, for Federal law could punish anyone who assisted an escaped slave. But in both the rural and urban areas of Oneida County, individuals and communities sheltered fugitives, and encouraged some of them to settle amongst them. |
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The search continues for the site of the cabin of former slave Joshuas Howe, who was believed to be a UGRR station master. View video. |
| An article in the Utica Observer Dispatch dated May 29, 1936 titled “Son of Fugitive Slave Tells of Negro Race's Love for Gerrit Smith” lends to the belief that there may have been a second Utica rescue in addition to the 1836 documented rescue. |
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