UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SITES

OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY AND THE TRI-STATE AREAS

By Carol A. Hanny

General information I want to include:

The Underground Railroad was active from the late 1700's to 1865, when the Civil War ended slavery.

Slavery was abolished in Connecticut in 1784 and again in 1797. In Massachusetts, it was abolished in 1783.

There are many sites in Connecticut, but many are not officially recorded.  Often, sites are passed down by family history.

Quote “...the number and location of safe houses created a pattern that resembled a net, and that zigzag was one of the regular devices (used) to blind and throw off pursuit.” (Siebert, 62)

Most towns had an antislavery society or abolitionist society. Members will be listed with each town.

Farmington, Connecticut was known as the Grand Central Station of this state. Routes made use of canals (Farmington Canal) and waterways;  they went by foot, rail, or ship.

The slaves usually entered the state through New Haven, Stamford and Old Lyme.

They moved north to Massachusetts, Westfield, Springfield and Worcester and then fled to Canada.

From the Cornwall History, some places don't have slave cemeteries.  Freemen were buried in family plots or on the edges of the cemetery.

There is supposed to be an “Apple Tree Trail”. I don't have any information on it.

There is also a song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd”,  the Big Dipper and the North Star.

And, “Follow the Blooms”. I believe this is to follow the bloomeries / iron furnaces, right up the Housatonic Valley. The slaves would have been familiar with bloomeries, and iron furnaces are just larger versions of those.

Were the blacks charcoal burners?

Could Molly Fisher Rock in Kent be part of the system? A map north to the Great Falls, where there was a furnace  (see my web page on it)

There is also a map, "Historic Sites in the Settlement of African Americans in Connecticut".  (Can't seem to find my copy at this time.)

Routes made use of canals and waterways, and they went by foot, rail or ship.

Now let us look at my map of the proposed routes through Litchfield County.

Click to mail to me.  Anything you want to add or comment on.  Thank you.

Underground Railroad sites by town

Click on each to go to that page.

Bantam

Barkhamsted

Bethlehem

Burlington

Canaan

Colebrook

Cornwall

Goshen

Harwinton

Kent

Litchfield

Milton

New Milford

New Preston

Norfolk

Plymouth

Sharon
 
Sherman

Thomaston

Torrington

Warren

Washington

Watertown

Winchester / Winsted