As anti-slavery sentiment spread
throughout the nation during the early 1800s, a loosely organized network developed to help slaves escape.
A series of secret safe-houses came to be known as the "Underground
Railroad." Under this system, guides, known as "conductors," took
fleeing slaves to locations where "station masters" hid them until they could
continue north to freedom. Delaware was a major route of escape for slaves fleeing
from Virginia and the eastern shore of Maryland. In Delaware the Underground
Railroad began in Dover and ran northward through Wilmington into Pennsylvania.
Many slaves passed through Delaware on their way to freedom in the
North.
Two of Delaware's Underground Railroad Heroes:
Thomas Garrett
Samuel Burris
