Post St. and the Underground Railroad

Post St. and the Underground Railroad. The Oneida County Freedom Trail Walking Tour - Stop 2. (Utica was) “in advance of the cities of the North in regard to freedom -- and its anti-slavery attractions secured the residence of an intelligent and spirited colored population.” (Jermain Loguen, 1859) , In the 1830s about 250 of the county's 650 African-Americans lived in Utica. Most lived in the mixed-race neighborhood of Post Street, just a few blocks away from the Erie Canala and the center of the city. Many worked in the hotels, liveries, and restaurants. They were often the first to know of approaching slave-catchers. They housed freedom-seekers and guided them to the next station on the Underground Railroad. , In 1836, Post Street residents participated in the “Utica Rescue” of two imprisoned freedom-seekers and sent them further along the Underground Railroad to freedom. J.D. Green from Kentucky described in his biography his 1846 recapture on Post Street,and subsequent return to slavery. , African Americans from Post Street and throughout Oneida County played an important role in the larger struggle against slavery. Rev. James Fountain, Benjamin Anderson, and Tucker Woodson from Post Street were active in the Negro Convention Movement, along with other black Oneida County residents, including Francis Lippin and Rufus Wills. They attended conventions in Rome, Syracuse, and Buffalo where participants demanded an end to slavery, rejected the Colonization proposal, and insisted on equal voting rights. Many fought in the Civil War, including William Henry and C.W. Lloyd, who are buried in Utica's Forest Hill Cemetery. , African American citizens of Oneida County exerted significant influence on the Abolition Movement and the success of the Underground Railroad. , [Bottom left] Post Street resident William Henry served on three ships in the US Navy during the Civil War: the Lady Sterling, the Hornet, and the Princeton. During his 90 years in Utica he served in the city fire departments, worked at Addington's Pottery, delivered milk for Bogart's farm, drove a rubbish wagon, and “rah a line of boats” on the Erie Canal. , [Bottom center] In his biography, J.D. Green describes his three escapes from slavery. On his second escape, he arrived in Utica on the Underground Railroad, but was recaptured on Post Street.

“… I was taken before a magistrate, and that night I was placed in prison, and next day brought before a court, and ordered to be given up to my master.”

, [Top right] The activism of Post Street residents was followed with great interest throughout the country, as seen in this 1855 New York Times article.