Can you imagine living peacefully, running a successful business and having all of that ripped away simply because of your race? The
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, nicknamed the Bloodhound Law, did just that. This law deemed that even if people of color had escaped or had been born free, they could be sent South based solely on the claimant's word, whipped and enslaved. To force people to comply, stiff penalties and prison time were given to those who refused to turn in the so called runaways.
Coupled with this, New York State said being in the state didn't mean you were free. Therefore, Southerners could vacation or work here for six months and their "property" could not be released.
Franklin County and
Malone played a part in fighting this law. First, Luther Bradish, our Lieutenant Governor--who lived in Moira and helped establish St. Mark's Episcopal Church, spoke out against this atrocity. (for more information see: http://franklinhistorian.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-07-03T16%3A24%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=7 ).
And of course, our own Congregational Church as a part of the Underground Railroad created a tunnel in its basement to hide fleeing slaves.
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| Note the bend at the far left |
I always pictured this tunnel as a subway tunnel traveling under the streets. However, it's a tiny little reinforced hole traveling from the west side of the church to the north. It turns, underground at a sharp sixty degree bend, and to hide in it, you'd have to be desperate.
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| Neil slipping into the tunnel |
