Exploring the Underground Railroad in Delaware

DELAWARE - Delaware, officially a slave state until the Civil War, held a uniquely complex and perilous position on the Underground Railroad. Its long, narrow geography and shared border with the free state of Pennsylvania made it the crucial, final hurdle for thousands of enslaved people seeking freedom in the North. The state was a maze of risk, where the danger of capture by slave catchers and the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Acts were constant threats.

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The Landscape of Risk: Delaware's Role

Unlike New Jersey, which served primarily as a transit corridor, Delaware was a territory of intense surveillance, demanding extreme secrecy and courage from its network of "conductors." The state's geography dictated two primary routes:

1. The Eastern Route (The Peninsula): This perilous path moved fugitives north through the agricultural heartland of the Delaware Peninsula, passing through towns like Dover and Smyrna, before reaching the safety of Wilmington.

   
   
   

2. The Western Route (The Free Line): This path ran along the northern border adjacent to Chester County, Pennsylvania (a major abolitionist hub). This route was often the safest but required precise timing to cross the border near Newark or Hockessin.

The Agents of Change

The conductors in Delaware were known for their cunning and bravery. The network's success relied heavily on Quakers, free Black communities, and white abolitionists who developed effective counter-surveillance strategies.

• Thomas Garrett (Wilmington): The most famous conductor in Delaware, Garrett was a Quaker who personally helped an estimated 2,700 people escape to freedom over four decades. He was legally prosecuted and financially ruined under the Fugitive Slave Act but continued his work until the Civil War. His home in Wilmington was one of the final and most important "stations" before crossing into Pennsylvania.

• Harriet Tubman: Born enslaved in Maryland, Tubman’s routes often crossed through the swamps and fields of southern Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula on her missions. Her intimate knowledge of the landscape was crucial.

  
  
  

• The Dover Jailbreak: An audacious jailbreak in Dover in 1859, organized by local abolitionists, freed four fugitives and highlighted the intense level of local resistance.

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Key Stops and Sites of Significance

Historical records and oral tradition illuminate several crucial "stations" that formed the lifeline for fugitives in Delaware.

1. The Coastal Corridors (Smyrna and Dover)

These towns in central Delaware were important stops before the final push north. Fugitives were often hidden in hay wagons, concealed compartments, or the attics of sympathetic farmhouses.

• The John Hunn House in Camden (near Dover): This Quaker's home was a vital station. Hunn worked closely with Thomas Garrett, and both men were famously convicted and fined heavily under the Fugitive Slave Act, which only deepened their resolve.

2. Wilmington (The Gateway to Freedom)

Wilmington was the most critical junction on the Delaware Underground Railroad. It was often the last safe house before the easy, final walk or carriage ride across the border to abolitionist strongholds in Philadelphia.

• Thomas Garrett's Home: Located near Quaker Hill, his home was known to every conductor and fugitive as the final destination in Delaware.

• The Blacksmith Shop: Local free Black communities helped smuggle many people out via the docks and railroad lines that ran north.

3. The Eastern Shore Connections

The Delmarva Peninsula's vast, dark swamps and remote waterways, while dangerous, provided cover. Fugitives often traveled by boat or followed the narrow back roads before reaching safety in Wilmington or crossing into Maryland's network (where they risked meeting slave catchers).

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A Legacy of Courage

Delaware’s role in the Underground Railroad was a silent war fought by its citizens against the state’s own laws. The courage displayed by figures like Thomas Garrett and the local Quaker and free Black communities ensured that the promise of freedom, just miles across the border in Pennsylvania, was realized by thousands.

State of Delaware