mission statement
history of the project
how the sites were chosen
background of the underground railroad
symbology of the sculptures
Each of superb craftsmanship, they are designed to be allegory "places of rest" complete with an "attic" and "cellar" symbolic of places to hide within the conductor homes. They were often utilized as the best places to conceal fugitives as they continued on their northward trek.
The attic facade is engraved with maps referencing the Niagara River as a passage to freedom. Words such as "Chase" and "Wing" are combined with arrows and "X" marks to emphasize danger or sanctuary. The cellar door is engraved with complex and cryptic codes designed by station masters conductors to guide passengers along the way and to communicate with other conductors. Phrases such as "please forward and oblige", and "no back charges" are transcriptions of actual notes passed between station masters and conductors. These coded messages often referred to deliveries of "produce" and other materials in order to safeguard the success of the fugitives' arrival to the next check point.
Each station is an individual concept with its own caches of memories of "being, thinking, and worrying". Just as each historical site had it own individual owners, freedom seekers, and dangers to beware. They also were originally installed with actual items, such as reading glasses, a bible, and a compass; however these items no longer exist. These items were symbolic of items of necessity in which the enslaved would carry on their trek.
The Mirror: The recessed mirror placed in the center of the front facade is a symbol of the intersection between history in progress and individual lives, (also pertaining to water or anything that casts a reflection). The meaning stems from the notion that all persons, no matter what the time period, are part of a collective whole, and are always connected to the past. It also represents a "watchful eye" or "light in the window", symbolizing a beacon to safety or guarding against possible danger.