Railroad terminology and symbols were adopted to mask the covert activities of the network and to keep the public and slaveholders in the dark. Those who assisted escaping slaves in their journey were called “conductors.” They guided fugitives along points of the Underground Railroad, using various modes of transportation over land or by water. One of the most famous conductors was Harriet Tubman. The terms “passengers,” “cargo,” “package” and “freight” referred to escaped slaves. Passengers were delivered to “stations” or “depots,” which were safe houses. Stations were located in various cities and towns, known as “terminals.” These places of temporary refuge could sometimes be identified by lit candles in their windows or by strategically placed lanterns in the front yard.
Station Masters
Safe houses were operated by “station masters.” They received escapees into their home and provided meals, a change of clothing, a place to rest and hide, and financial assistance before sending them to the next transfer point. Black abolitionist William Still was in charge of a station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He assisted many freedom-seekers in their journey to Canada and recorded the men, women and children who stopped at his station, including Tubman and her passengers. Jermain Loguen was another Black station master and leader in the abolitionist movement. He ran a station in Syracuse, New York, where he permanently settled after living freely in Hamilton and St. Catharines, Upper Canada, from 1837 to 1841. Well known for his public speeches and written contributions to anti-slavery newspapers, Loguen was known as the “Underground Railroad King.” Numerous women were station masters. Quaker women Lucretia Mott and Laura Haviland, and Henrietta Bowers Duterte, the first Black female undertaker in Philadelphia, are just a few. Many other women also worked with their husbands to operate stations.
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