The Old Town of Halifax

The Old Town of Halifax. . , Antebellum Halifax was an important in the plantation country of the Roanoke River valley. Its location on the river, where a major north-south roadway crossed , made the town a logical place for travel and commerce. The 240 slaves and 53 free blacks that resided here in 1830 used the town’s commercial and communal activity to attain personal freedoms and financial gain. A number of African-Americans worked in transportation-related positions such as ship’s crewmen, ferrymen, and dock and warehouse workers. Free people of color made a living as coopers, masons, tailors, barbers, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, domestic workers, fishermen, and laborers., Its location and character likewise made Halifax an important “station” for freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. Whether they were coming to the area to reunite with family members who had been sold or were passing through to a free state, the hustle and bustle of activity, as well as the support of a large and sympathetic black community, made it easier for travelers to go unnoticed. Some used skills ranging from literacy to carpentry to successfully pass as free. For those headed north, the town offered the choice of either a land or maritime route. However, those who were caught faced a stay in the local jail until they were retrieved by the plantation owner or sold., On May 26, 2011, the National Park Service designated the old town of Halifax as a site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom because of its significant contributions to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American History. , (captions) , This New Bern Blacksmith and wheelwright shop – pictured in 1862 – was operated prior to and during the Civil War by Luke Masaw, a free African-American tradesman. From Homer Cofer’s Report of the Services Rendered by the Free People to the United States Army, 1881., Background Image: The C.J. Smathier map from 1769, showing the town of Halifax