New Harriet Tubman statue has unusual feature
Philadelphia has just picked the design for a new statue honoring Harriet Tubman. Perhaps you saw this news item recently. So much has been written about her extreme bravery and dedication to humankind. But seldom do we read about the fact that she backed up all her dangerous Underground Railroad activity with prayer. Prayer and […]
Harriet Tubman: Three Portraits
Harriet Tubman: 3 Portraits focuses on the significance of this abolitionist leader of the Underground Railroad
Famous Black Woman Spurned by Racist
Susan B. Anthony Champions Ida B. Wells In 1895, Susan B. Anthony went out for the day instructing her (white) stenographer to help her guest, journalist Ida B. Wells, to catch up on her correspondence. When Susan returned, the journalist was doing her own typing while the stenographer sat idle. Asked why she was not […]
Mary Bowser, Confederate White House Spy
Even now, it’s hard to get a clear description of Mary Bowser, who greatly aided the North by spying on the Confederate White House during the Civil War. Maybe that’s because she wanted it that way. Here is the closest we can come to facts about her life. Mary Bowser (AKA Richards) was born a […]
One More River to Cross at Underground Railroad Heritage Area
When fleeing slaves from the southern U.S. reached Niagara Falls, they knew they had one more river to cross. But what a river it was with its roiling cataract. The new Underground Railroad Heritage Center in Niagara Falls, NY. chronicles some of the notable African-Americans who escaped across the river and helped others to make […]
New Underground Railroad Exhibit at Niagara Falls
A whole new source of information on the Underground Railroad is opening next weekend in Niagara Falls, starting May 4. I’m excited because it will offer more in-depth background for my historical novels in The Dauntless Series, featuring abolitionists Daniel Read Anthony and his sister Susan. Here’s the scoop on the new museum: Niagara Falls […]
Agitators Prevailed
The story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass packed a full house tonight, the opening of “The Agitators.” Rochester’s famous reformers really showed their mettle at this fine play at GEVA Theater. Actors Madeleine Lambert and Cedric Mays delivered the pair’s famous arguments with conviction and humor against a massive timeline that resembled the […]
Vineyard Woman with Nerves of Steel
Today’s heroine for Women’s History Month is Beulah Vanderhoop of Martha’s Vineyard, a maritime conductor on the Underground Railroad in the 1850s. She had the courage it took to assist as many as eight ex-slaves to safety and in my novel, profoundly affected Annie Osborn of Edgartown. Though Vanderhoop is firmly grounded in history, the […]
When Free Speech isn’t Free
It almost cost Frederick Douglass his home to publish his newspaper in the Talman Building in Rochester, pictured here; and Harriet Jacobs, an author who operated a reading room with her brother one floor up, couldn’t make her rent, either.
Abolition Families Join Forces in Rochester, NY
In 1847, two prominent abolition families became neighbors when Frederick Douglass settled in Rochester, NY near the Anthonys. There, he began publishing his abolitionist paper The North Star (later called Frederick Douglass’ Paper). Douglass established his writing and speaking career in New Bedford (near Boston). Eventually, however, his rising fame threatened or inspired jealousy in […]