Travel the Underground Railroad

Bob Krist photo, courtesy of the PA Route 6 Tourist Association

Stand at the base of a towering mountain in one of Pennsylvania’s beautiful forested regions and ask yourself, how did these people make it?  How did they make it through the wind, and the rain and the snow?  There were no road maps to guide them, no Triple A Triptiks. They called upon the kindness of strangers, and in most cases, had to fend for themselves.  The road to freedom was a long, hard road. 

Follow in the footsteps of America’s courageous freedom seekers and experience the triumph of the human spirit.   When you visit northwestern Pennsylvania, you’ll hear fascinating stories about local freedom fighters, narrow escapes and communities where it was safe to stay for a while.

In this guide are some important places you won’t want to miss.   But you must always remember that the Underground Railroad did not stop at the state border or the county line.  Northwestern Pennsylvania’s freedom trail connects to a much larger network that links West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.

So come along.  Stow away on a Great Lakes steamship.  Hunker down in a hand-made canoe. Slip aboard a three-masted schooner.   Freedom is just hours away!

PA State Archives, 1836 Tourist Map
of Pennsylvania.

Choose your destination by clicking on the map above or one of the links below:

Crawford

Erie

Mercer

Venango

Warren 

Ashtabula, Ohio

Western New York