William J. Switala – författare

In a companion volume to his highly regarded Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania, William J. Switala focuses on the escaped-slave network in the eastern border states of Delaware and Maryland, as well as the region that became West Virginia in 1863. Using fresh and extensive research, Switala fills a glaring void in the historical record of this important topic. Full of vivid anecdotes and lucid reconstructions, this book brings the Underground Railroad to life for the modern reader.

This book tells the story of the network that guided escaped slaves to freedom, its operation, its important figures, and its specific history in New York and New Jersey. It pinpoints major routes in the states, with maps and information for locating them today.

Revised and expanded with recently uncovered information, this work features detailed maps of escape routes and networks, and eyewitness accounts of fugitives. Organised in antebellum America to help slaves escape to freedom, the Underground Railroad was cloaked in secrecy and operated at great peril to everyone involved. The system was extremely active in Pennsylvania, with routes running through cities and towns in all parts of the state. This revised second edition retraces the routes with detailed maps, discusses the large city networks, identifies the houses and sites where escapees found refuge, and records the names of the people who risked their lives to support the operation.