Waterside Promenade in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Underground Railroad
Photographed By Laura Troy, November 4, 2007
1. The Underground Railroad Marker
Inscription.
The Underground Railroad. . After northern states began abolishing slavery during the Revolutionary era, fugitives from throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina started to escape by ship from the Norfolk waterfront. With luck and determination, many succeeded in enlisting the aid of black crewmen working aboard northward-bound vessels. Two of the South’s most famous Underground Railroad fugitives, George Latimer and Shadrach Minkins, escaped from Norfolk, most likely by sea. A few ship captains were known by local Railroad agents as being sympathetic to fugitives or at least agreeable to transporting them secretly for a price. Captain William D. Bayliss of the Keziah and Captain Alfred Fountain of the City of Richmond bravely transported runaways from Norfolk during the 1850s when local sentiment against the Underground Railroad was at its highest. The City of Richmond docked at John Higgins’ wharf, east of the Berkley Bridge. Higgins was a former owner of Shadrach Minkins. , The City of Norfolk was placed on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 2004.
After northern states began abolishing slavery during the Revolutionary era, fugitives from throughout southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina started to escape by ship from the Norfolk waterfront. With luck and determination, many succeeded in enlisting the aid of black crewmen working aboard northward-bound vessels. Two of the South’s most famous Underground Railroad fugitives, George Latimer and Shadrach Minkins, escaped from Norfolk, most likely by sea. A few ship captains were known by local Railroad agents as being sympathetic to fugitives or at least agreeable to transporting them secretly for a price. Captain William D. Bayliss of the Keziah and Captain Alfred Fountain of the City of Richmond bravely transported runaways from Norfolk during the 1850s when local sentiment against the Underground Railroad was at its highest. The City of Richmond docked at John Higgins’ wharf, east of the Berkley Bridge. Higgins was a former owner of Shadrach Minkins.
The City of Norfolk was placed on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 2004.
Location. 36° 50.623′ N, 76° 17.465′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in Waterside Promenade. Marker can be reached from Waterside Drive. This marker sits on the dock at Waterside. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norfolk VA 23510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. This marker is part of the Norfolk Heritage Cannonball Trail.
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, January 18, 2022
2. The Underground Railroad Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,384 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on February 22, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Photos:1. submitted on November 11, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. 2. submitted on January 18, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
