“Follow the North Star”The North Star was the guiding

light for the Underground Railroad

To Pavilion

food, clothes and shoes to the man cowering be-side the pool in the swamp, and then drove him to Elba to make connec-tions with the sta-tionmaster.

But the story con-tinues. After the war, Richard Selden was on a business trip to Baltimore. While having dinner in a restaurant, a black waiter approached him and asked if Selden recognized him. “No,” he didn’t. The waiter proceeded to tell Selden that he was the slave that he had rescued twenty years before. He had reached safety in Canada, and when war broke out, he joined a black regiment. The unit was surrendered to the Confederates who proceeded to mercilessly slaughter the black soldiers. He was one of only four-teen to survive. This story was recounted in the 1970s by Richard Selden’s grandson.

Continue on the Selden Road to Route 19 south and turn right. Immediately past the large Village of LeRoy sign, pause by the first house on the right.

J.R. ANDERSON HOUSE (7) One night in 1858 three es-caped slaves, unable to find their way on the Underground Railroad, found themselves in the middle of LeRoy. Huftelen writes: “The people were sorry for them but dare not feed or give them lodgings, being church members and law abiding citizens. (The 1850 Es-caped Slave law punished people who fed or helped fugitive slaves with fines of $1000 and imprisonment.) At last they found a col-ored individual, an ex-slave who had been emancipated by the act of 1827. They knew they were off the route but nobody could tell them, for it was one of the best, if not the very best guarded routes in the whole system. However, the ex-slave was in the employ of our venerable townsmen, J. R. Anderson, and told them that he thought Mr. Anderson would help them. He led them to the house where they were provided with a good breakfast, after which the sleigh was brought ‘round. Those who knew Mr. Anderson in those far away years will remember that he had a vast amount of energy in his manner and the men were nervous about trusting themselves with him. But he said: “Pile in boys, all hell can’t get you now.’ ” They were taken to Bergen and then to Rochester where they made contact with Frederick Douglass.

Continue into LeRoy and turn left at the intersection of Route 19 and Route 5.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (8) In August 1835, the Pres-byterian Church was the site of an anti-slavery meeting, but aboli-tion was not popular with many people. At that time there were four avowed abolitionists in LeRoy: Seth Gates, Samuel Grannis, Dea-con Comstock and Judge Brewster. They organized the meeting at the Presbyterian Church and advertised that an escaped slave would address the crowd. Dr. Reed, a physician from Rochester, and the Rev. A.A. Phelps of Massachusetts addressed the crowd. The room was filled to capacity. A large crowd gathered outside and began

to shout obscenities. Windows were smashed and wood and stones were hurled at the speaker’s platform. Judge Hascall tried to break up the crowd and was stoned for his efforts. The windows in the home of Seth Gates were smashed and his wife and children had to take refuge in an inner room.

Continue down Main Street. On the left, at the edge of the bridge is the Post Office.

THE DOCK (9) On the site of the present post office there was a large building known as the “Dock.” It housed stores and various other shops. In 1878, Samuel Grannis, a former resident of LeRoy, told the LeRoy Gazette that he had been a station agent on the Un-derground Railroad and he kept his “office” in the old stone building then owned by Elijah Gray. Grannis also stated that “Fred” Dou-glass was a passenger on the Grannis Railroad in 1850. Frederick Douglass did not escape to freedom through Western New York, and the date does not coincide with the documented events, but it is possible that Douglass was helping runaway slaves and stayed at the Grannis “office”. However, this is a typical example of the vague evidence that exists.

Probably, there are many stories of the Underground Railroad that have gone unrecorded – names have been forgotten and events un-told, yet the story of the Underground Railroad remains an epic of American heroism. Of the many gospel songs, these words have special meaning:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see Coming for to carry me home! A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home.

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home, Tell all of my friends I’m coming too, Coming for to carry me home.

The

UndergroUnd

railroad

in leroy

LeRoy Historical Society23 East Main StreetLeRoy, New York 14482585.768.7433

This building know as “The Dock” was razed for the Post Office. Samuel Grannis wrote that this building was his “office” on the Un-derground Railroad.

The Story of the Under-ground Railroad is one of intrigue, mystery, and the perilous journey to free-dom during the years be-fore the Civil war. It is a story of slaves, freemen, bounty hunters, abolition-

ists, men and women caught in a moral dilemma that forced many to take drastic measures that often had serious or fatal conse-quences. The events of the Underground were so shrouded in se-crecy that it is often difficult to sort fact from fiction and to verify the truth. However, there is sufficient evidence to document the part that LeRoy played in helping escaped slaves find freedom.

Two of the best sources of information are two booklets written by Elijah Huftelen who admitted to helping escaped slaves. The booklets were published in LeRoy between 1900 and 1903. But as Huftelen points out: “A full history of the Underground Rail-road will never be written. It cannot be for it was a spontaneous organization of such nature that no records were kept. The few who may be left, bound by the force of habit, still keep their secrets and will probably take them to the grave.” Nevertheless, Huftelen gives several accounts of activities in LeRoy, and in-cludes a letter from George Tomlinson that substantiates many of the events. The following route of the Underground Railroad, has been reconstructed from events found in these two booklets, as well as several other secondary sources.

The entire trip is 17 miles. The first stop is at LeRoy House. You may stop and tour the exhibits.

LE ROY HOUSE (1) Although this house is never mentioned in any of the documented accounts of the Underground move-ment, it was the home of one of the most outspoken abolition-ists in the United States, Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox. He was born in New Jersey in 1793 and abandoned the study of law for the ministry. He was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn and in 1834, his church and home in Brooklyn were ransacked because of his strong words against slavery. His repu-tation spread throughout the country and he was hung in effigy in Charleston. In 1854 he retired, but in 1856 he came to LeRoy after being appointed Chancellor of Ingham University for women. He moved his family into the LeRoy House, where he lived for several years, until the death of his wife. Although he was a staunch abolitionist, he and Fred-erick Douglass were not on friendly terms. Did Cox help runaway slaves? Were slaves hidden in LeRoy House? No one knows for sure.

Now proceed west on Main Street, and turn left imme-diately before the bridge onto Wolcott Street.

SITE OF STORE WHERE SETH GATES ARGUED THE CAUSE OF ABOLITION (2) Seth Gates was one of LeRoy’s most outspoken abolitionists during the 1830s and 1840s. As a young man he worked in the store that stood next to the creek on the corner of Wolcott and Main. The building was torn down about 150 years ago to create a more scenic view of the campus of Ingham University which stood where the LeRoy Central School is located now. A description of Gates was writ-ten by George Tomlinson who remembered an event at the store: “Mr. Gates was in the midst of an animated discussion upon the slavery question. He seemed to be alone on the abolition side, and handled his half a dozen opponents in such a way as to im-press me that he was enough for all of them. Scores of times in imagination have I seen him with the powder canister in hand, his right arm raised as if to smite his opponent to the earth, and heard him say: ‘Slavery is a condition of warfare supported by the tyrant’s argument, might makes right.’”

Proceed down Wolcott Street to Route 19 and turn left. Drive 3.4 miles and turn right on Junction Road. Con-tinue on Junction Road to the first stop sign. To the left is Creek Road and to the right is Bernd Road. Turn right onto Bernd Road.

TRAIL OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (3) Escaped slaves followed many routes north to Canada, but one route known as the Covington Route, came from Pennsylvania into New York, through Friendship, north to Covington and Pa-vilion Center and to this sparsely settled area on the east side of Oatka Creek. There were few houses along this route and the terrain was low and swampy. If the land was cleared it may have been planted with corn and this provided the runaways with good protection. This route along the Bernd Road, was mentioned by several people who knew about the Underground Railroad.

JUG CITY As you come over the rise on Bernd Road, you will notice an old house on the left. This is the old Gallup home

that was mentioned by George Tomlinson: “At that time the track of the Underground Railroad ran past my father’s house in Jug City. It came from Pavilion to South LeRoy, past Jacob Gallup’s to the LeRoy and East Bethany Road.” As you travel north from the Gallup house you will notice that the creek comes closer to the road. At certain times of the year, it was low enough to cross here and avoid the bridge at Jug City. George Tomlinson lived on the other side of the creek, so the crossing was probably made south of the bridge.

Turn left at the end of Bernd Road and cross the creek. Turn right on the East Bethany-LeRoy Road and continue to Route 5.

This part of the route was also mentioned by George Tomlinson who stated: “Thence toward the Village of LeRoy to a crossroad that led to the Batavia Road, starting in the west line of Martin Coe’s farm and coming out on the main road in the neighborhood of Keeney’s and Chester Wait’s.” This route follows almost ex-actly the present day East Bethany-LeRoy Road.

You will have to turn left on Route 5 and take an im-mediate right onto Keeney Road continue north on Keeney Road.

THE KEENEY ROAD A historic marker is located near the site of where the Underground Railroad crossed the old State Road (now Route 5). There were few families living on Keeney Road in the 1850s and as you travel north about 2 miles, you will notice very few old homes.

As you approach the corner of Keeney Road and the Randall Road, you will notice a small cemetery on the right side of the road.

LANGWORTHY CEMETERY (4) Slavery was legal in New York until 1827. Some early settlers brought slaves with them to the frontier. One of those men was David Kneeland who settled northwest of LeRoy, near Randall and Keeney Road. Kneeland came from Connecticut and was “subject to fits of temper.” One day Kneeland and his slave were bringing in hay and putting it into the barn. A rainstorm was coming and Kneeland was in a hurry. “Though the colored man was doing all that was possible for any man, Kneeland said some-thing that the black man answered.” Kneeland struck the black man in the head, and by nighttime, the slave was dead. The Langworthys, who were neighbors, heard the argument and the screams of the unfortunate black slave. Later, Kneeland came to the Langworthys and asked if they could help bury the body of the slave on the north side of the wall of the cemetery. It appears that the north wall of the cemetery, near the creek, has washed away, but as you pause to look at this serene setting, think of a poor black slave, whose name we shall never know, and remember that he lies in an unmarked grave. David Knee-land was never prosecuted for the murder. In the front row of graves, to the right of the steps, you will notice the gravestone of Elijah Huftelen, the man who recorded many of the stories of the Underground Railroad.

Continue to the intersection of Keeney and Randall Road and turn right. Stop in front of the stone house on the right.

MACDONALD’S STATION ON THE UNDER-GROUND (5) Somewhere in this vicinity lived LeRoy’s Un-derground Railroad Stationmaster, Daniel MacDonald. He did not remain in this area long, but while he was here, he enlisted the help of a young boy, Elijah Huftelen, who lived in this stone house. The written accounts of Elijah Huftelen are the most de-tailed records of the LeRoy route. MacDonald was described as a tall Scotsman, six feet tall with piercing black eyes and boundless energy. He set up a small medicine business and used it as a front for his real mission, helping runaway slaves escape to Canada. He was called “the medicine man.” Young Huftelen took care of MacDonald’s horses and noticed that the horses were used only at night. MacDonald never owned any gray or white horses.

One day Huftelen saw MacDonald talking with four Negroes and they all got into a large wagon and took off. MacDonald did not return for two days but before he left, he confided in young Huftelen, that he was indeed helping the Negroes to escape. From this place, the route traveled to Morganville, past Horse-shoe Lake to Elba and then to the Niagara River and Canada.

In 1856, the secrecy of the Covington route was jeopardized by an incident near Elba. After that, MacDonald decided to move west to Bowmansville and take young Huftelen with him to help with his undercover work. Lat-er, Huftelen returned to LeRoy and continued to live in this stone house, raising lilies and writing articles for the LeRoy Gazette.

Continue down the road. You will pass a large brick house on the left with two front doors. Legends persist that this house was part of the Underground Railroad. The discovery of an under-ground room added to the credibility of the story, but there are no written records that confirm the legends.

At the corner of Randall Road and the West Bergen Road, turn left and proceed to the Selden Road. Turn right and continue east about 2 miles. Just past the gravel pit on the left is the Selden Homestead.

SELDEN HOMESTEAD (6) One day in the late 1850’s Richard Lord Selden was working near his barn when a fright-ened Negro came up to him and asked if Selden would direct him north. Selden was not involved with the Underground Railroad but he pointed toward a swamp that led to Griswold Road. The man headed off in that direction. Within minutes two U. S. Mar-shals drove up to the Selden barn and asked if Selden has seen a fugitive slave. Selden admitted that he had seen the slave. The Marshals ordered him into their wagon and took off down a dead end road. They all got out and began to run after the fleeing man, but Selden ran faster and caught up with the slave, over a hill and out of sight of the lawmen. He told the Negro to follow a brook into the swamp until he reached a large pool and to wait for him until dark.

Then Selden ran back to the Marshals and pointed them in an-other direction. He never saw them again. That night he took

Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox

Elijah Huftelen

TheUndergroUndrailroadin leroy

The Story of the Under-ground Railroad is one of intrigue, mystery, and the perilous journey to free-dom during the years be-fore the Civil war. It is a story of slaves, freemen, bounty hunters, abolition-

ists, men and women caught in a moral dilemma that forced many to take drastic measures that often had serious or fatal conse-quences. The events of the Underground were so shrouded in se-crecy that it is often difficult to sort fact from fiction and to verify the truth. However, there is sufficient evidence to document the part that LeRoy played in helping escaped slaves find freedom.

Two of the best sources of information are two booklets written by Elijah Huftelen who admitted to helping escaped slaves. The booklets were published in LeRoy between 1900 and 1903. But as Huftelen points out: “A full history of the Underground Rail-road will never be written. It cannot be for it was a spontaneous organization of such nature that no records were kept. The few who may be left, bound by the force of habit, still keep their secrets and will probably take them to the grave.” Nevertheless, Huftelen gives several accounts of activities in LeRoy, and in-cludes a letter from George Tomlinson that substantiates many of the events. The following route of the Underground Railroad, has been reconstructed from events found in these two booklets, as well as several other secondary sources.

The entire trip is 17 miles. The first stop is at LeRoy House. You may stop and tour the exhibits.

LE ROY HOUSE (1) Although this house is never mentioned in any of the documented accounts of the Underground move-ment, it was the home of one of the most outspoken abolition-ists in the United States, Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox. He was born in New Jersey in 1793 and abandoned the study of law for the ministry. He was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn and in 1834, his church and home in Brooklyn were ransacked because of his strong words against slavery. His repu-tation spread throughout the country and he was hung in effigy in Charleston. In 1854 he retired, but in 1856 he came to LeRoy after being appointed Chancellor of Ingham University for women. He moved his family into the LeRoy House, where he lived for several years, until the death of his wife. Although he was a staunch abolitionist, he and Fred-erick Douglass were not on friendly terms. Did Cox help runaway slaves? Were slaves hidden in LeRoy House? No one knows for sure.

Now proceed west on Main Street, and turn left imme-diately before the bridge onto Wolcott Street.

SITE OF STORE WHERE SETH GATES ARGUED THE CAUSE OF ABOLITION (2) Seth Gates was one of LeRoy’s most outspoken abolitionists during the 1830s and 1840s. As a young man he worked in the store that stood next to the creek on the corner of Wolcott and Main. The building was torn down about 150 years ago to create a more scenic view of the campus of Ingham University which stood where the LeRoy Central School is located now. A description of Gates was writ-ten by George Tomlinson who remembered an event at the store: “Mr. Gates was in the midst of an animated discussion upon the slavery question. He seemed to be alone on the abolition side, and handled his half a dozen opponents in such a way as to im-press me that he was enough for all of them. Scores of times in imagination have I seen him with the powder canister in hand, his right arm raised as if to smite his opponent to the earth, and heard him say: ‘Slavery is a condition of warfare supported by the tyrant’s argument, might makes right.’”

Proceed down Wolcott Street to Route 19 and turn left. Drive 3.4 miles and turn right on Junction Road. Con-tinue on Junction Road to the first stop sign. To the left is Creek Road and to the right is Bernd Road. Turn right onto Bernd Road.

TRAIL OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (3) Escaped slaves followed many routes north to Canada, but one route known as the Covington Route, came from Pennsylvania into New York, through Friendship, north to Covington and Pa-vilion Center and to this sparsely settled area on the east side of Oatka Creek. There were few houses along this route and the terrain was low and swampy. If the land was cleared it may have been planted with corn and this provided the runaways with good protection. This route along the Bernd Road, was mentioned by several people who knew about the Underground Railroad.

JUG CITY As you come over the rise on Bernd Road, you will notice an old house on the left. This is the old Gallup home

that was mentioned by George Tomlinson: “At that time the track of the Underground Railroad ran past my father’s house in Jug City. It came from Pavilion to South LeRoy, past Jacob Gallup’s to the LeRoy and East Bethany Road.” As you travel north from the Gallup house you will notice that the creek comes closer to the road. At certain times of the year, it was low enough to cross here and avoid the bridge at Jug City. George Tomlinson lived on the other side of the creek, so the crossing was probably made south of the bridge.

Turn left at the end of Bernd Road and cross the creek. Turn right on the East Bethany-LeRoy Road and continue to Route 5.

This part of the route was also mentioned by George Tomlinson who stated: “Thence toward the Village of LeRoy to a crossroad that led to the Batavia Road, starting in the west line of Martin Coe’s farm and coming out on the main road in the neighborhood of Keeney’s and Chester Wait’s.” This route follows almost ex-actly the present day East Bethany-LeRoy Road.

You will have to turn left on Route 5 and take an im-mediate right onto Keeney Road continue north on Keeney Road.

THE KEENEY ROAD A historic marker is located near the site of where the Underground Railroad crossed the old State Road (now Route 5). There were few families living on Keeney Road in the 1850s and as you travel north about 2 miles, you will notice very few old homes.

As you approach the corner of Keeney Road and the Randall Road, you will notice a small cemetery on the right side of the road.

LANGWORTHY CEMETERY (4) Slavery was legal in New York until 1827. Some early settlers brought slaves with them to the frontier. One of those men was David Kneeland who settled northwest of LeRoy, near Randall and Keeney Road. Kneeland came from Connecticut and was “subject to fits of temper.” One day Kneeland and his slave were bringing in hay and putting it into the barn. A rainstorm was coming and Kneeland was in a hurry. “Though the colored man was doing all that was possible for any man, Kneeland said some-thing that the black man answered.” Kneeland struck the black man in the head, and by nighttime, the slave was dead. The Langworthys, who were neighbors, heard the argument and the screams of the unfortunate black slave. Later, Kneeland came to the Langworthys and asked if they could help bury the body of the slave on the north side of the wall of the cemetery. It appears that the north wall of the cemetery, near the creek, has washed away, but as you pause to look at this serene setting, think of a poor black slave, whose name we shall never know, and remember that he lies in an unmarked grave. David Knee-land was never prosecuted for the murder. In the front row of graves, to the right of the steps, you will notice the gravestone of Elijah Huftelen, the man who recorded many of the stories of the Underground Railroad.

Continue to the intersection of Keeney and Randall Road and turn right. Stop in front of the stone house on the right.

MACDONALD’S STATION ON THE UNDER-GROUND (5) Somewhere in this vicinity lived LeRoy’s Un-derground Railroad Stationmaster, Daniel MacDonald. He did not remain in this area long, but while he was here, he enlisted the help of a young boy, Elijah Huftelen, who lived in this stone house. The written accounts of Elijah Huftelen are the most de-tailed records of the LeRoy route. MacDonald was described as a tall Scotsman, six feet tall with piercing black eyes and boundless energy. He set up a small medicine business and used it as a front for his real mission, helping runaway slaves escape to Canada. He was called “the medicine man.” Young Huftelen took care of MacDonald’s horses and noticed that the horses were used only at night. MacDonald never owned any gray or white horses.

One day Huftelen saw MacDonald talking with four Negroes and they all got into a large wagon and took off. MacDonald did not return for two days but before he left, he confided in young Huftelen, that he was indeed helping the Negroes to escape. From this place, the route traveled to Morganville, past Horse-shoe Lake to Elba and then to the Niagara River and Canada.

In 1856, the secrecy of the Covington route was jeopardized by an incident near Elba. After that, MacDonald decided to move west to Bowmansville and take young Huftelen with him to help with his undercover work. Lat-er, Huftelen returned to LeRoy and continued to live in this stone house, raising lilies and writing articles for the LeRoy Gazette.

Continue down the road. You will pass a large brick house on the left with two front doors. Legends persist that this house was part of the Underground Railroad. The discovery of an under-ground room added to the credibility of the story, but there are no written records that confirm the legends.

At the corner of Randall Road and the West Bergen Road, turn left and proceed to the Selden Road. Turn right and continue east about 2 miles. Just past the gravel pit on the left is the Selden Homestead.

SELDEN HOMESTEAD (6) One day in the late 1850’s Richard Lord Selden was working near his barn when a fright-ened Negro came up to him and asked if Selden would direct him north. Selden was not involved with the Underground Railroad but he pointed toward a swamp that led to Griswold Road. The man headed off in that direction. Within minutes two U. S. Mar-shals drove up to the Selden barn and asked if Selden has seen a fugitive slave. Selden admitted that he had seen the slave. The Marshals ordered him into their wagon and took off down a dead end road. They all got out and began to run after the fleeing man, but Selden ran faster and caught up with the slave, over a hill and out of sight of the lawmen. He told the Negro to follow a brook into the swamp until he reached a large pool and to wait for him until dark.

Then Selden ran back to the Marshals and pointed them in an-other direction. He never saw them again. That night he took

Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox

Elijah Huftelen

TheUndergroUndrailroadin leroy

The Story of the Under-ground Railroad is one of intrigue, mystery, and the perilous journey to free-dom during the years be-fore the Civil war. It is a story of slaves, freemen, bounty hunters, abolition-

ists, men and women caught in a moral dilemma that forced many to take drastic measures that often had serious or fatal conse-quences. The events of the Underground were so shrouded in se-crecy that it is often difficult to sort fact from fiction and to verify the truth. However, there is sufficient evidence to document the part that LeRoy played in helping escaped slaves find freedom.

Two of the best sources of information are two booklets written by Elijah Huftelen who admitted to helping escaped slaves. The booklets were published in LeRoy between 1900 and 1903. But as Huftelen points out: “A full history of the Underground Rail-road will never be written. It cannot be for it was a spontaneous organization of such nature that no records were kept. The few who may be left, bound by the force of habit, still keep their secrets and will probably take them to the grave.” Nevertheless, Huftelen gives several accounts of activities in LeRoy, and in-cludes a letter from George Tomlinson that substantiates many of the events. The following route of the Underground Railroad, has been reconstructed from events found in these two booklets, as well as several other secondary sources.

The entire trip is 17 miles. The first stop is at LeRoy House. You may stop and tour the exhibits.

LE ROY HOUSE (1) Although this house is never mentioned in any of the documented accounts of the Underground move-ment, it was the home of one of the most outspoken abolition-ists in the United States, Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox. He was born in New Jersey in 1793 and abandoned the study of law for the ministry. He was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn and in 1834, his church and home in Brooklyn were ransacked because of his strong words against slavery. His repu-tation spread throughout the country and he was hung in effigy in Charleston. In 1854 he retired, but in 1856 he came to LeRoy after being appointed Chancellor of Ingham University for women. He moved his family into the LeRoy House, where he lived for several years, until the death of his wife. Although he was a staunch abolitionist, he and Fred-erick Douglass were not on friendly terms. Did Cox help runaway slaves? Were slaves hidden in LeRoy House? No one knows for sure.

Now proceed west on Main Street, and turn left imme-diately before the bridge onto Wolcott Street.

SITE OF STORE WHERE SETH GATES ARGUED THE CAUSE OF ABOLITION (2) Seth Gates was one of LeRoy’s most outspoken abolitionists during the 1830s and 1840s. As a young man he worked in the store that stood next to the creek on the corner of Wolcott and Main. The building was torn down about 150 years ago to create a more scenic view of the campus of Ingham University which stood where the LeRoy Central School is located now. A description of Gates was writ-ten by George Tomlinson who remembered an event at the store: “Mr. Gates was in the midst of an animated discussion upon the slavery question. He seemed to be alone on the abolition side, and handled his half a dozen opponents in such a way as to im-press me that he was enough for all of them. Scores of times in imagination have I seen him with the powder canister in hand, his right arm raised as if to smite his opponent to the earth, and heard him say: ‘Slavery is a condition of warfare supported by the tyrant’s argument, might makes right.’”

Proceed down Wolcott Street to Route 19 and turn left. Drive 3.4 miles and turn right on Junction Road. Con-tinue on Junction Road to the first stop sign. To the left is Creek Road and to the right is Bernd Road. Turn right onto Bernd Road.

TRAIL OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (3) Escaped slaves followed many routes north to Canada, but one route known as the Covington Route, came from Pennsylvania into New York, through Friendship, north to Covington and Pa-vilion Center and to this sparsely settled area on the east side of Oatka Creek. There were few houses along this route and the terrain was low and swampy. If the land was cleared it may have been planted with corn and this provided the runaways with good protection. This route along the Bernd Road, was mentioned by several people who knew about the Underground Railroad.

JUG CITY As you come over the rise on Bernd Road, you will notice an old house on the left. This is the old Gallup home

that was mentioned by George Tomlinson: “At that time the track of the Underground Railroad ran past my father’s house in Jug City. It came from Pavilion to South LeRoy, past Jacob Gallup’s to the LeRoy and East Bethany Road.” As you travel north from the Gallup house you will notice that the creek comes closer to the road. At certain times of the year, it was low enough to cross here and avoid the bridge at Jug City. George Tomlinson lived on the other side of the creek, so the crossing was probably made south of the bridge.

Turn left at the end of Bernd Road and cross the creek. Turn right on the East Bethany-LeRoy Road and continue to Route 5.

This part of the route was also mentioned by George Tomlinson who stated: “Thence toward the Village of LeRoy to a crossroad that led to the Batavia Road, starting in the west line of Martin Coe’s farm and coming out on the main road in the neighborhood of Keeney’s and Chester Wait’s.” This route follows almost ex-actly the present day East Bethany-LeRoy Road.

You will have to turn left on Route 5 and take an im-mediate right onto Keeney Road continue north on Keeney Road.

THE KEENEY ROAD A historic marker is located near the site of where the Underground Railroad crossed the old State Road (now Route 5). There were few families living on Keeney Road in the 1850s and as you travel north about 2 miles, you will notice very few old homes.

As you approach the corner of Keeney Road and the Randall Road, you will notice a small cemetery on the right side of the road.

LANGWORTHY CEMETERY (4) Slavery was legal in New York until 1827. Some early settlers brought slaves with them to the frontier. One of those men was David Kneeland who settled northwest of LeRoy, near Randall and Keeney Road. Kneeland came from Connecticut and was “subject to fits of temper.” One day Kneeland and his slave were bringing in hay and putting it into the barn. A rainstorm was coming and Kneeland was in a hurry. “Though the colored man was doing all that was possible for any man, Kneeland said some-thing that the black man answered.” Kneeland struck the black man in the head, and by nighttime, the slave was dead. The Langworthys, who were neighbors, heard the argument and the screams of the unfortunate black slave. Later, Kneeland came to the Langworthys and asked if they could help bury the body of the slave on the north side of the wall of the cemetery. It appears that the north wall of the cemetery, near the creek, has washed away, but as you pause to look at this serene setting, think of a poor black slave, whose name we shall never know, and remember that he lies in an unmarked grave. David Knee-land was never prosecuted for the murder. In the front row of graves, to the right of the steps, you will notice the gravestone of Elijah Huftelen, the man who recorded many of the stories of the Underground Railroad.

Continue to the intersection of Keeney and Randall Road and turn right. Stop in front of the stone house on the right.

MACDONALD’S STATION ON THE UNDER-GROUND (5) Somewhere in this vicinity lived LeRoy’s Un-derground Railroad Stationmaster, Daniel MacDonald. He did not remain in this area long, but while he was here, he enlisted the help of a young boy, Elijah Huftelen, who lived in this stone house. The written accounts of Elijah Huftelen are the most de-tailed records of the LeRoy route. MacDonald was described as a tall Scotsman, six feet tall with piercing black eyes and boundless energy. He set up a small medicine business and used it as a front for his real mission, helping runaway slaves escape to Canada. He was called “the medicine man.” Young Huftelen took care of MacDonald’s horses and noticed that the horses were used only at night. MacDonald never owned any gray or white horses.

One day Huftelen saw MacDonald talking with four Negroes and they all got into a large wagon and took off. MacDonald did not return for two days but before he left, he confided in young Huftelen, that he was indeed helping the Negroes to escape. From this place, the route traveled to Morganville, past Horse-shoe Lake to Elba and then to the Niagara River and Canada.

In 1856, the secrecy of the Covington route was jeopardized by an incident near Elba. After that, MacDonald decided to move west to Bowmansville and take young Huftelen with him to help with his undercover work. Lat-er, Huftelen returned to LeRoy and continued to live in this stone house, raising lilies and writing articles for the LeRoy Gazette.

Continue down the road. You will pass a large brick house on the left with two front doors. Legends persist that this house was part of the Underground Railroad. The discovery of an under-ground room added to the credibility of the story, but there are no written records that confirm the legends.

At the corner of Randall Road and the West Bergen Road, turn left and proceed to the Selden Road. Turn right and continue east about 2 miles. Just past the gravel pit on the left is the Selden Homestead.

SELDEN HOMESTEAD (6) One day in the late 1850’s Richard Lord Selden was working near his barn when a fright-ened Negro came up to him and asked if Selden would direct him north. Selden was not involved with the Underground Railroad but he pointed toward a swamp that led to Griswold Road. The man headed off in that direction. Within minutes two U. S. Mar-shals drove up to the Selden barn and asked if Selden has seen a fugitive slave. Selden admitted that he had seen the slave. The Marshals ordered him into their wagon and took off down a dead end road. They all got out and began to run after the fleeing man, but Selden ran faster and caught up with the slave, over a hill and out of sight of the lawmen. He told the Negro to follow a brook into the swamp until he reached a large pool and to wait for him until dark.

Then Selden ran back to the Marshals and pointed them in an-other direction. He never saw them again. That night he took

Rev. Samuel Hansen Cox

Elijah Huftelen

TheUndergroUndrailroadin leroy

“Follow the North Star”The North Star was the guiding

light for the Underground Railroad

To Pavilion

food, clothes and shoes to the man cowering be-side the pool in the swamp, and then drove him to Elba to make connec-tions with the sta-tionmaster.

But the story con-tinues. After the war, Richard Selden was on a business trip to Baltimore. While having dinner in a restaurant, a black waiter approached him and asked if Selden recognized him. “No,” he didn’t. The waiter proceeded to tell Selden that he was the slave that he had rescued twenty years before. He had reached safety in Canada, and when war broke out, he joined a black regiment. The unit was surrendered to the Confederates who proceeded to mercilessly slaughter the black soldiers. He was one of only four-teen to survive. This story was recounted in the 1970s by Richard Selden’s grandson.

Continue on the Selden Road to Route 19 south and turn right. Immediately past the large Village of LeRoy sign, pause by the first house on the right.

J.R. ANDERSON HOUSE (7) One night in 1858 three es-caped slaves, unable to find their way on the Underground Railroad, found themselves in the middle of LeRoy. Huftelen writes: “The people were sorry for them but dare not feed or give them lodgings, being church members and law abiding citizens. (The 1850 Es-caped Slave law punished people who fed or helped fugitive slaves with fines of $1000 and imprisonment.) At last they found a col-ored individual, an ex-slave who had been emancipated by the act of 1827. They knew they were off the route but nobody could tell them, for it was one of the best, if not the very best guarded routes in the whole system. However, the ex-slave was in the employ of our venerable townsmen, J. R. Anderson, and told them that he thought Mr. Anderson would help them. He led them to the house where they were provided with a good breakfast, after which the sleigh was brought ‘round. Those who knew Mr. Anderson in those far away years will remember that he had a vast amount of energy in his manner and the men were nervous about trusting themselves with him. But he said: “Pile in boys, all hell can’t get you now.’ ” They were taken to Bergen and then to Rochester where they made contact with Frederick Douglass.

Continue into LeRoy and turn left at the intersection of Route 19 and Route 5.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (8) In August 1835, the Pres-byterian Church was the site of an anti-slavery meeting, but aboli-tion was not popular with many people. At that time there were four avowed abolitionists in LeRoy: Seth Gates, Samuel Grannis, Dea-con Comstock and Judge Brewster. They organized the meeting at the Presbyterian Church and advertised that an escaped slave would address the crowd. Dr. Reed, a physician from Rochester, and the Rev. A.A. Phelps of Massachusetts addressed the crowd. The room was filled to capacity. A large crowd gathered outside and began

to shout obscenities. Windows were smashed and wood and stones were hurled at the speaker’s platform. Judge Hascall tried to break up the crowd and was stoned for his efforts. The windows in the home of Seth Gates were smashed and his wife and children had to take refuge in an inner room.

Continue down Main Street. On the left, at the edge of the bridge is the Post Office.

THE DOCK (9) On the site of the present post office there was a large building known as the “Dock.” It housed stores and various other shops. In 1878, Samuel Grannis, a former resident of LeRoy, told the LeRoy Gazette that he had been a station agent on the Un-derground Railroad and he kept his “office” in the old stone building then owned by Elijah Gray. Grannis also stated that “Fred” Dou-glass was a passenger on the Grannis Railroad in 1850. Frederick Douglass did not escape to freedom through Western New York, and the date does not coincide with the documented events, but it is possible that Douglass was helping runaway slaves and stayed at the Grannis “office”. However, this is a typical example of the vague evidence that exists.

Probably, there are many stories of the Underground Railroad that have gone unrecorded – names have been forgotten and events un-told, yet the story of the Underground Railroad remains an epic of American heroism. Of the many gospel songs, these words have special meaning:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see Coming for to carry me home! A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home.

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home, Tell all of my friends I’m coming too, Coming for to carry me home.

The

UndergroUnd

railroad

in leroy

LeRoy Historical Society23 East Main StreetLeRoy, New York 14482585.768.7433

This building know as “The Dock” was razed for the Post Office. Samuel Grannis wrote that this building was his “office” on the Un-derground Railroad.

“Follow the North Star”The North Star was the guiding

light for the Underground Railroad

To Pavilion

food, clothes and shoes to the man cowering be-side the pool in the swamp, and then drove him to Elba to make connec-tions with the sta-tionmaster.

But the story con-tinues. After the war, Richard Selden was on a business trip to Baltimore. While having dinner in a restaurant, a black waiter approached him and asked if Selden recognized him. “No,” he didn’t. The waiter proceeded to tell Selden that he was the slave that he had rescued twenty years before. He had reached safety in Canada, and when war broke out, he joined a black regiment. The unit was surrendered to the Confederates who proceeded to mercilessly slaughter the black soldiers. He was one of only four-teen to survive. This story was recounted in the 1970s by Richard Selden’s grandson.

Continue on the Selden Road to Route 19 south and turn right. Immediately past the large Village of LeRoy sign, pause by the first house on the right.

J.R. ANDERSON HOUSE (7) One night in 1858 three es-caped slaves, unable to find their way on the Underground Railroad, found themselves in the middle of LeRoy. Huftelen writes: “The people were sorry for them but dare not feed or give them lodgings, being church members and law abiding citizens. (The 1850 Es-caped Slave law punished people who fed or helped fugitive slaves with fines of $1000 and imprisonment.) At last they found a col-ored individual, an ex-slave who had been emancipated by the act of 1827. They knew they were off the route but nobody could tell them, for it was one of the best, if not the very best guarded routes in the whole system. However, the ex-slave was in the employ of our venerable townsmen, J. R. Anderson, and told them that he thought Mr. Anderson would help them. He led them to the house where they were provided with a good breakfast, after which the sleigh was brought ‘round. Those who knew Mr. Anderson in those far away years will remember that he had a vast amount of energy in his manner and the men were nervous about trusting themselves with him. But he said: “Pile in boys, all hell can’t get you now.’ ” They were taken to Bergen and then to Rochester where they made contact with Frederick Douglass.

Continue into LeRoy and turn left at the intersection of Route 19 and Route 5.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (8) In August 1835, the Pres-byterian Church was the site of an anti-slavery meeting, but aboli-tion was not popular with many people. At that time there were four avowed abolitionists in LeRoy: Seth Gates, Samuel Grannis, Dea-con Comstock and Judge Brewster. They organized the meeting at the Presbyterian Church and advertised that an escaped slave would address the crowd. Dr. Reed, a physician from Rochester, and the Rev. A.A. Phelps of Massachusetts addressed the crowd. The room was filled to capacity. A large crowd gathered outside and began

to shout obscenities. Windows were smashed and wood and stones were hurled at the speaker’s platform. Judge Hascall tried to break up the crowd and was stoned for his efforts. The windows in the home of Seth Gates were smashed and his wife and children had to take refuge in an inner room.

Continue down Main Street. On the left, at the edge of the bridge is the Post Office.

THE DOCK (9) On the site of the present post office there was a large building known as the “Dock.” It housed stores and various other shops. In 1878, Samuel Grannis, a former resident of LeRoy, told the LeRoy Gazette that he had been a station agent on the Un-derground Railroad and he kept his “office” in the old stone building then owned by Elijah Gray. Grannis also stated that “Fred” Dou-glass was a passenger on the Grannis Railroad in 1850. Frederick Douglass did not escape to freedom through Western New York, and the date does not coincide with the documented events, but it is possible that Douglass was helping runaway slaves and stayed at the Grannis “office”. However, this is a typical example of the vague evidence that exists.

Probably, there are many stories of the Underground Railroad that have gone unrecorded – names have been forgotten and events un-told, yet the story of the Underground Railroad remains an epic of American heroism. Of the many gospel songs, these words have special meaning:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see Coming for to carry me home! A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home.

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home, Tell all of my friends I’m coming too, Coming for to carry me home.

The

UndergroUnd

railroad

in leroy

LeRoy Historical Society23 East Main StreetLeRoy, New York 14482585.768.7433

This building know as “The Dock” was razed for the Post Office. Samuel Grannis wrote that this building was his “office” on the Un-derground Railroad.

“Follow the North Star”The North Star was the guiding

light for the Underground Railroad

To Pavilion

food, clothes and shoes to the man cowering be-side the pool in the swamp, and then drove him to Elba to make connec-tions with the sta-tionmaster.

But the story con-tinues. After the war, Richard Selden was on a business trip to Baltimore. While having dinner in a restaurant, a black waiter approached him and asked if Selden recognized him. “No,” he didn’t. The waiter proceeded to tell Selden that he was the slave that he had rescued twenty years before. He had reached safety in Canada, and when war broke out, he joined a black regiment. The unit was surrendered to the Confederates who proceeded to mercilessly slaughter the black soldiers. He was one of only four-teen to survive. This story was recounted in the 1970s by Richard Selden’s grandson.

Continue on the Selden Road to Route 19 south and turn right. Immediately past the large Village of LeRoy sign, pause by the first house on the right.

J.R. ANDERSON HOUSE (7) One night in 1858 three es-caped slaves, unable to find their way on the Underground Railroad, found themselves in the middle of LeRoy. Huftelen writes: “The people were sorry for them but dare not feed or give them lodgings, being church members and law abiding citizens. (The 1850 Es-caped Slave law punished people who fed or helped fugitive slaves with fines of $1000 and imprisonment.) At last they found a col-ored individual, an ex-slave who had been emancipated by the act of 1827. They knew they were off the route but nobody could tell them, for it was one of the best, if not the very best guarded routes in the whole system. However, the ex-slave was in the employ of our venerable townsmen, J. R. Anderson, and told them that he thought Mr. Anderson would help them. He led them to the house where they were provided with a good breakfast, after which the sleigh was brought ‘round. Those who knew Mr. Anderson in those far away years will remember that he had a vast amount of energy in his manner and the men were nervous about trusting themselves with him. But he said: “Pile in boys, all hell can’t get you now.’ ” They were taken to Bergen and then to Rochester where they made contact with Frederick Douglass.

Continue into LeRoy and turn left at the intersection of Route 19 and Route 5.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (8) In August 1835, the Pres-byterian Church was the site of an anti-slavery meeting, but aboli-tion was not popular with many people. At that time there were four avowed abolitionists in LeRoy: Seth Gates, Samuel Grannis, Dea-con Comstock and Judge Brewster. They organized the meeting at the Presbyterian Church and advertised that an escaped slave would address the crowd. Dr. Reed, a physician from Rochester, and the Rev. A.A. Phelps of Massachusetts addressed the crowd. The room was filled to capacity. A large crowd gathered outside and began

to shout obscenities. Windows were smashed and wood and stones were hurled at the speaker’s platform. Judge Hascall tried to break up the crowd and was stoned for his efforts. The windows in the home of Seth Gates were smashed and his wife and children had to take refuge in an inner room.

Continue down Main Street. On the left, at the edge of the bridge is the Post Office.

THE DOCK (9) On the site of the present post office there was a large building known as the “Dock.” It housed stores and various other shops. In 1878, Samuel Grannis, a former resident of LeRoy, told the LeRoy Gazette that he had been a station agent on the Un-derground Railroad and he kept his “office” in the old stone building then owned by Elijah Gray. Grannis also stated that “Fred” Dou-glass was a passenger on the Grannis Railroad in 1850. Frederick Douglass did not escape to freedom through Western New York, and the date does not coincide with the documented events, but it is possible that Douglass was helping runaway slaves and stayed at the Grannis “office”. However, this is a typical example of the vague evidence that exists.

Probably, there are many stories of the Underground Railroad that have gone unrecorded – names have been forgotten and events un-told, yet the story of the Underground Railroad remains an epic of American heroism. Of the many gospel songs, these words have special meaning:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see Coming for to carry me home! A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home.

If you get there before I do, Coming for to carry me home, Tell all of my friends I’m coming too, Coming for to carry me home.

The

UndergroUnd

railroad

in leroy

LeRoy Historical Society23 East Main StreetLeRoy, New York 14482585.768.7433

This building know as “The Dock” was razed for the Post Office. Samuel Grannis wrote that this building was his “office” on the Un-derground Railroad.