On September 27, 2023, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom announced new listings to their program, and the Archer Alexander Burial Site of St. Peter’s Cemetery in (Normandy) St. Louis will be among the 23 new listings joining the over 750 listings nationwide. St. Peter’s Cemetery is located at 2101 Lucas and Hunt Avenuue in Normandy, St. Louis County, Missouri. Another site joining the Network to Freedom is Greenwood Cemetery, which is an African American Cemetery just two blocks from St. Peters UCC, where Harriet Scott, wife of Dred Scott, is buried. Also joining the Network is the Tower Grove House at the Missouri Botanical Garden, bring the total of five sites in St. Louis, thanks to the work of Regional Director Barry G. Jurgensen. Thanks to the work of St. Peters UCC Cemetery Superintendent Bill Baumgartner for his help with this listing for Archer Alexander.
WASHINGTON – The National Park Service has added 23 new listings to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, including its first international site. The program recognizes places and programs with verifiable connections to the Underground Railroad and the resistance to enslavement through escape or flight.
“The Network to Freedom commemorates the courage, resilience and creativity of freedom seekers and provides insight to their struggles against oppression,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “Every listing added to the program moves us closer to telling a more complete and inclusive history of our nation and its quest to form a more perfect union.”
Created 25 years ago, the Network to Freedom has more than 750 listings of sites, interpretive and educational programs, and research facilities related to the Underground Railroad. The listings document the diverse experiences of self-emancipators who bravely escaped slavery and the allies who assisted them.
The addition of the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church as the network’s first international listing is a reminder of Canada’s pivotal role as a destination for many travelers on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman resided in St. Catharines from 1851 to 1858 and belonged to the church’s congregation, along with numerous other self-liberators who settled in the area.
Nominations for the Network to Freedom are accepted twice a year. Information and applications are available online.
Following are the additions to the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. Some sites are privately owned. If the site is not open to the public, please respect the privacy of the owner.
Ontario, Canada
- Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Catharines
Delaware
- James C. and Amelia Jackson Farm, Hockessin
Washington, DC
- International Underground Railroad Project
Florida
- Back to Angola Program, Bradenton
Iowa
- Evergreen Cemetery, Fairfield
Illinois
- Bristol Congregational Church, Yorkville
Kentucky
- Madison and Kitty Smith Burial Sites, St. Louis Cemetery, Louisville
Maryland
- Concord Historic Site, District Heights
- Malone’s Methodist Episcopal Church, Madison
Michigan
- Henry and Elizabeth Hamer Burial Site, Royal Oak Cemetery, Royal Oak
- Michigan Central Railroad Depot Site, Detroit
- Southfield Reformed Presbyterian Church, Southfield
- Wayne County Community College Underground Railroad District History Program, Detroit
Missouri
- Archer Alexander Burial Site, St. Peter’s Cemetery, St. Louis
- Greenwood Cemetery, Hillsdale
- Tower Grove House at Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
Minnesota
- Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Paul
Nebraska
- John M. Thayer House, Lincoln
New Jersey
- Bethel A.M.E. Church, Greenwich
New York
- Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State, Albany
Pennsylvania
- Darby Friends Meetinghouse and School, Darby
- Hosanna African Union Methodist Protestant Church and Cemetery, Lincoln University
South Carolina
- Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island
ARCHER ALEXANDER 