On September 13, Peekskill will immerse itself in a story of courage, rails, and freedom. The Underground Tour by Fern Tree, presented by the Peekskill Human Relations Commission, will guide participants through key locations that were part of the clandestine network that helped hundreds of enslaved people escape northward. The tour will be led by LaFern Joseph, founder of Sisters in Support and a specialist in the local African American historical memory.

The walk, which begins at 9 a.m., will start from the Hudson River shoreline. Historical routes used by people fleeing southern plantations will be reconstructed. From there, the group will proceed to McGregors Brook, a stream used to intentionally mislead slave hunters and tracking dogs. Joseph will pause at each site to narrate the history of those who walked the same paths nearly two centuries ago.

The itinerary includes a visit to the home of Hawley and Harriet Green, local African American figures who provided shelter to fugitives. Another essential stop is the AME Zion Church, a historic building that served as a safe hideout. The tour will also pass through an area of the former property of preacher Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, which was used strategically in the Underground Railroad.

This event is part of the series of cultural activities promoted by the Peekskill Human Relations Commission to highlight the city’s role in United States history. Joseph has led the organization and research of these tours, connecting oral testimonies, historical documents, and community tradition over the past three decades.

The installation of the sculpture “Harriet Tubman – The Journey to Freedom,” unveiled in downtown Peekskill in 2021, has increased interest in the tours. The piece, created by sculptor Wesley Wofford, shows Tubman guiding a young girl toward freedom and is part of a traveling exhibition that has visited more than a dozen cities across the country. Peekskill became one of its stops due to its historical significance in the Underground Railroad network.

Tubman, born enslaved in Maryland in 1822, helped free more than seventy people in a dozen trips to the South. Although there is no direct record of her physical presence in Peekskill, local historians assert that the city was part of the routes she and other conductors used to lead hundreds of people toward Canada and free states.

Tours organized by Sisters in Support are open to schools, organizations, and the general public. Each edition includes dramatizations and historical narratives to contextualize the risks and strategies that characterized this clandestine network in the pursuit of freedom.

One organization that also works to preserve this history is the Underground Railroad Education Center, based in Albany. Its mission is to research and preserve the history of the Underground Railroad. In addition to documenting routes, safe houses, and key figures, it organizes educational activities for the public, including tours, workshops, and historical dramatizations.

For the September 13 tour in Peekskill, advance registration through The Fern Tree website is recommended. The activity has a fee of 60 dollars per participant. Comfortable footwear is advised for traversing the various historic sites in Peekskill. For additional information or event details, contact Sisters in Support at 914-382-9226 or 914-293-0863.