Saturday, September 14, 2019
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Niagara and Buffalo Tour
This field excursion will take you on a tour of five sites related to Underground Railroad history in Western New York.
At the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, an award-winning experiential museum, you will be introduced to stories featuring courageous waiters who operated highly effective covert operations in what historians have called, “the earliest biracial civil rights movement in the U.S, and one of the most significant social justice movements of nineteenth century North America.” Learn more at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center’s permanent exhibit, “Freedom Crossing: The Underground Railroad in Greater Niagara,” which tells the story of the Underground Railroad Movement in Buffalo Niagara. Walk in the footsteps of freedom seekers at the site of the famed Cataract House hotel and Prospect Point at the top of Niagara Falls.
Two additional sites in nearby Buffalo will round out the excursion. The Michigan Street Baptist Church was built by African Americans in 1845 and provided a safe haven for the community. Finally, the Colored Musicians Club, organized in 1918, is the only remaining African American club in the entire United States and, as such, it actively encourages historical research and preservation of the history of jazz in Buffalo.