On the Trail

NOTE: I apologize to my blog followers. We have had great difficulty getting internet connection while in Charlestown, IN. I am writing the events of each day in a Word Document but am hoping when I get to Ohio, we will get internet and I can post what I have written. To those of you that have texted or called – we are ok. No worries. J



Cycling route from Charlestown to New Albany

 Tuesday
Most of today was spent driving – so not very exciting. We left Michigan early Tuesday, the weather was great.  Rod did an amazing job driving with the trailer (which is fairly big and tricky to manoeuvre on some roads!) and we arrived in Charlestown State Park in Indiana early evening. The park is lovely; however, there isn’t internet connection like there was at the other campsite. I will write each day and then update when we get somewhere with an internet connection.

Wednesday
Distance Travelled via truck: 900km
Distance Travelled via bicycle today: 33km

We woke up to sunny skies and warm temperatures (temp between 75-82 F). After taking care of some logistics, Audrey and I set out on our bikes.  We cycled from Charlestown to Jeffersonville, Indiana. This is about 33km or the distance from Lake Ontario to North Milton! Progress initially was slow as the trail was VERY hilly! At some points, going up hill required walking our bikes up the hill and sometimes going down the hills had us at speeds of over 50km per hour!  

While cycling today, with my fancy bike, my cushy cycling shorts, my helmet, my Gatorade drink stops and picnic lunch, after having had a hot shower this morning and breakfast, I tried to imagine fugitive slaves covering the same distance we did today but walking or running while being pursued – with their lives on the line! Not to mention that food was probably scarce or non-existence for them and they didn’t sleep in a warm bed before setting out on their journey for the day. As much as I am trying to re-trace footsteps of those who where escaping slavery – I really have little idea of what they went  through and can only imagine what it is like to run for  my life.

 While biking the trail, much of today’s trip, circled around the towns, in round about ways, keeping to less travelled roads. Audrey wondered if it was planned like that to simulate how the slaves sometimes had to go miles out of their way to avoid certain obstacles or capture.



Ohio River from 'Free State' Indiana.



 We also spent a good portion of our ride today alongside the Ohio River, a crucial milestone for many fugitives! Prior to 1850, fugitive slaves only needed to make it to a free state (in most cases, crossing the Ohio River). After 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. This meant that regardless of where a slave was in the United States, they could be captured and returned to their owners. People in Northern or Free States HAD to return the slaves to their owners or risk punishment (which many of them risked anyway in order to help fugitives). The only place that they would be free is if they made it to Canada.

However, when we were in Buxton the other day, I learned that many slave catchers crossed into Canada and often re-captured slaves to return them to the U.S. This was illegal but happened nonetheless. Sometimes the slave catchers captured ‘Free Blacks’ like those living in Buxton or other border town settlements. Some of these people has been born free and were taken to the U.S. and sold as a slave at a slave auction anyway so the slave catchers could make money.

I also found out that one of the churches in Buxton where both blacks and whites worshipped had a special place for the blacks to sit and not for the reason you think! Slave catchers tried to capture slaves during church services, where many people were congregated together. The black members of the church sat in an area where there were trap doors in the floor. If the church was invaded, the others would try to distract the slave catchers so the former-fugitives could escape through these special trap doors! This church is still in existence today.  Very clever!!

On the agenda for tomorrow (Thursday) is a trip to Museum in New Albany, Indiana – Ordinary People/Extraordinary Courage and to Louisville, Kentucky – a little Civil Rights history and a little baseball history. Can’t wait!

Ohio River from the 'Slave State' of Kentucky



Along the trail



First Stop or Last Stop? - Buxton Museum

Buxton Museum - Last Stop on Freedom Trail

Audrey and Rod picked up me and my bike and we headed towards Buxton, Ontario. Buxton was our first stop but it was actually the last stop on the Underground Railroad for many fugitives who escaped Freedom and came to Canada.

Buxton was founded by Reverend William King. He was originally from Ireland and immigrated to the US. He married a woman from the south. He came to Canada to start this mission. His wife passed away and he inherited a number of slaves. In addition to these slaves, he purchased some more (one was the son of one of the women slaves he had inherited). He brought them to Canada with the intention of setting them free. He established the Elgin Settlement with the help of Lord Elgin (who the settlement is named after), George Brown and a number of other men of influence. Each family in the settlement purchased a minimum of 50 acres of land at $2.50 an acre and they had 10 years to pay it off. They had specifications on the size and number of rooms of each house - it had to have a garden and a picket fence.


This is a picture of the oldest homestead in existence in Buxton, it was recently restored and is part of the Buxton Museum.  The house had to have 4 rooms (pictured are the bedroom and the kitchen)

Before entering the museum, you can see a replica of the Freedom Bell. It was a gift from the people of Philadelphia. The original is in a church in South Buxton but it hard to see because it is in the bell tower. If you have seen the movie - Race to Freedom with Courtney B Vance, it shows the Freedom Bell in Buxton. It was rung each time a slave made it to freedom.

 When we arrived in the museum, we were treated to the most amazing tour by a direct decent of an escaped slave who settled in Buxton after making it to freedom - Spencer Alexander. He is referenced in the book, Elijah of Buxton that I wrote about yesterday. He showed us around the entire museum and property and told of his fascinating family history. It was an amazing visit back in time.
(click here to find out more: http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/history/hist-ELGIN.html)



Slaves were often captured and transported via ship. This was a 'bunk' that a slave stayed in for the entire voyage (sometimes months), they were chained to it. It is 2 feet wide and 2 feet wide. If the ship was crowed, maybe two slaves stayed in this space.



This an auction block you would see at a slave auction or the docks where they would sells slaves like they would other livestock. This picture makes me sad.



This is a slave collar. It was usually locked on the neck a slave who had tried to escape. They had to keep it on as a reminder to others and as a punishment - 24 hours a day and sometimes for months at a time. It weighs about 25 pounds. They would attach bells to the top so they could heard if the slave tried to run away.



This is the famous Buxton school house. The only remaining school in Canada built entirely by slaves.

The wood stove in the school house.



The school room. It sometimes had 1 teacher and 100 students! Many white families pulled their children from the district school to enroll them in this school (which was built for black children but was open to all children) because of the high quality of the education there.



Me - playing teacher in the Buxton school house!

Tomorrow we head down to New Albany, Kentucky and will camp and then start the cycling portion of the trip. Also planned is a visit to Louisville! Not a stop on the Underground Railroad but a stop because of it's baseball history! We plan to visit the Louisville Bat museum and the home of the Louisville Bats - Slugger Park. I plan to have my picture taken with the Peewee Reece statue. Not a contributor to the Underground Railroad BUT had a big impact during what is known as the Great Experiment in Major League Baseball. He was a teammate of Jackie Robinson - the first player to break the colour barrier in the MLB.

The Night Before the Trail

  It is the eve before we leave on our trip to explore the Freedom Trail - just one of the routes of the Underground Railroad.


I am packed and ready to go! I can't believe it is almost here - after 5 years! :-) Tomorrow morning, I will meet up with Audrey and Rod and we begin our journey.


Our first stop tomorrow will be the museum in Buxton, Ontario. This was the Elgin Settlement, also known as Buxton. Buxton was one of four organized black settlements to be developed in Canada. The founder of this settlement was William King. He risked his life to establish this settlement. I can't wait to see it.


From Buxton, we will make our way towards the US boarder. There are two monuments marking the significance of the Underground Railroad. One is on the Detroit side of the river, showing slaves and a 'conductor' looking across the river to freedom. The Canadian side in Windsor, shows the Freedom Tower that is the candle representing the Eternal Flame of Freedom and a slave family and a baby who had made it to Freedom.
(click here to see more info about the sculptors: http://www.eddwight.com/public_art/underground_railroads/index.htm)
Picture above is from the same site showing Ed Dwight's incredible sculptors.

Some of you may have heard about the book Elijah of Buxton written by Christopher Paul Curtis about the settlement. He has written a number of award winning historical fiction books.

(Click here to read more about the book:http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/book.jsp?id=4743 -image is from the same site)

From there, we will work our way down to Kentucky to begin our journey back up along the Freedom Trail towards Niagara.


Tomorrow the Trail journey begins.

Preparing for the Trail

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT A PLAN and a GREAT SUPPORTING CAST

A trip like this doesn't just happen. :-) Preparing for this trip has been extensive. A large portion of the logistics part of the trip has been done by Audrey. (She is awesome!) Quite some time ago, she ordered the maps from the cycle company. The maps include the routes and also information about the various sites to see along the Freedom Trail. We reviewed them and figured out where we were going to go. She co-ordinated this with camping areas so we can bring her and Rod's trailer. I know this was a big job and I appreciate all she did to organize our accommodations. :-)

For my birthday, my friend Lynne gave me this guide book about the Underground Railroad - (Hippocrene Gide to The Underground Railroad). It is awesome and has information about historic places, people and events in the various areas along the Freedom Trail. We were able to use the book and co-ordinate with the maps to plan out the best possible route. Thanks Lynne!!

My bike. I have an OK bike and was going to 'make do' with it for the trip. My principal (Sean Marks) offered to lend me his bike! Nice! I rode this bike during the course of the summer. It was a much better bike than mine. I appreciate him lending it to me. Thanks!

However, during the summer. Audrey's daughter, Sarah offered to lend me her very fancy and totally awesome trail bike. (Thanks Sarah!) So that is the bike I will be taking on the trip with me.

So, I needed to get the bike ready for the trip. This involved a handle bar adjustment, new pedals, a new seat (wow - does that make a difference!), a tune up (done at Spokes N Slopes in Milton), a new lock, a tire pump, an odometer, spare tube, patch kit, a new mini backpack (bought with a gift certificate to Mountain Equipment Co-Op from the staff at Chris Hadfield - thanks!),  cycling shorts, shirts, hmm, I am sure some more stuff I have forgotten!


My cousin, Heather worked for a bike import company - Uno Imports in Hamilton on Nash Road. Bronco is one of the owners and he took amazing care of me! Lance Armstrong will have nothing on me in terms of cycle fashion and practicality! Thanks Bronco! (check out future blogs for pics)


Heather also sent me to Main Cycle in Hamilton (1461 Main Street, Hamilton) for some of the other items listed above. Not only were they amazing and getting me what I need - Lou Sivestri (see pics below) taught me how to change my tires while on the road. Thanks Lou!


I am sure I will have more people to thank (ie: my brother John for driving me and my bike to meet Audrey and Rod on Monday - thanks! My friend Chris who helped me start my blog after I was inspired by the blog he and his wife did while they were in Africa this summer) as we go! But I want to thank all of you too! I can't tell you the emails or calls I have gotten already! You guys are an amazing support! Your kind wishes, words of encouragement and support in general mean a lot to me. I am a lucky person to have so many amazing people in my life! :-D


The Trail is only a few short days away but I think we are ready.

                                                   

Countdown to the Freedom Ride

In about a week, the Freedom Trail Adventure begins....

THE BACKGROUND

My name is Lisa (or Ms. T to some of you :-). About 5 years ago, my teaching partner  (Mr. D) talked to me about doing a leave from school for a year to travel. It sounded like a good idea. One day, he gave me an article he had cut out  about a cycling group that were riding along a mapped route - one of the Freedom Trails.  I was teaching history at the time and was very interested in this historical time period and I knew that exploring that trail was going to be something I would do during the year I took off.

The best part was... about a year ago, my good friend Audrey asked me if she could join me!! (Poor Audrey had listened to me talk endlessly about the trip, planning and the history!) I was ecstatic - yes! I so excited to share this journey with someone. After our conversation, I heard from the living room - "Can I come too?" Audrey's husband, Rod is joining us too! I couldn't ask for two better travel partners. (Check in next blog where I detail the planning and support that has gone into this trip and we haven't left the door yet!)

WHY?

A really good friend of mine asked me 'WHY?' Why was I doing this?

The thought of re-tracing footsteps of people who ran, walked, swam, or crawled towards Freedom fascinates me. What about those along the way who weren't slaves who were also taking a dangerous risk in order to help... Would any of us be willing to risk our lives to save/help/assist an unknown person or family who is a captive and help them to escape to freedom?  I can't imagine living in a time where this was a reality. I admire these people, the slaves trying to escape, the 'conductors' along the Underground Railroad that helped, the abolitionists, all of them risking their lives. Their courage amazes me. All of them fighting for something that we sometimes take for granted - FREEDOM!

Those of you who know me - know I am a huge history buff and often try to entertain (but am fully aware that is more often bore...  :-) students, friends and family with stories of history that I find interesting. I couldn't let this opportunity to be connected to this part of history pass me by.

My other reason for wanting to undertake this journey is connected to the idea of 'people being owned' by other people.  For a long time women were considered property like slaves were. I am glad that I never lived in that time. I admire those women who fought for equality just at those who were slaves fought for freedom. It wasn't until the 1900s in Canada that women were able to keep their own money or property or vote or fight abuse. It wasn't until 1929 (after World War I) that women were legally considered 'persons' in Canada.

Canadian Timeline

1916: Canadian women in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan get the vote. (more)

1918: Canada gives women the vote in most provinces by federal law. Quebec is not included. (more)

(click here to read more about women in Canada getting to VOTE: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/essentials/u/womens_rights_history.htm 

or here for women's rights in Canada:  http://citizenshift.org/node/6931&dossier_nid=1127)

On October 18, 1929, Lord Sankey, Lord Chancellor of the Privy Council, announced the British Privy Council decision that "yes, women are persons ... and eligible to be summoned and may become Members of the Senate of Canada."

(click here to read more about women becoming 'persons' in Canada: http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/women/a/personscase.htm)

I may live in a time where I can vote, own my own property, keep my own wages, be legally considered a 'Person', never be owned by someone, and enjoy 'Freedom' but I want to walk in the footsteps of those before me and in a small way, walk some of the steps they took on a journey that I will never fully experience but will always admire, respect, and appreciate.

Join us on the journey.....