Artwork of the 80s

Underground Railroad

Folk Arts

Arcadia Revisited

Underground Railroad

History of the Project:

There have been many works about the Underground Railroad movement, but the focus has been on the plight of the slaves and not so much on the great risks taken by the ones who sided them. Without that aid, many escapees would not have been survived the difficult path to freedom.

In 1988, Houston Conwill was commissioned by Artpark in Lewiston to complete a temporary public art project for the summer season. The project, entitled Stations, included seven sculptures which served as poetic references to the homes in the Lewiston area which were part of the Underground Railroad. Tributes to the families who opened their hearts and their homes to fugitive slaves reroute to Canada, the sculptures were temporarily installed in wooded areas of Artpark leading to the Niagara River, a symbol of hope.

With the contract date for removal of Stations approaching, Houston Conwill asked the Castellani Art Museum for assistance in securing permanent installation of this project in the Lewiston area. Recognizing the superior quality of the sculptures and the significance of the site-specific work to this historic community, the museum enthusiastically accepted the challenge.
With funds provided by the Castellani Purchase Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private donation, the sculptures were purchased on behalf of the community.

What is the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad was the name given a vast, silent conspiracy conceived and operated by humanitarians who defied the fugitive slave law because they believed it violated the inherent right of human beings to be free. The Underground Railroad had not rails, no locomotives, no fixed schedules, stations, or conductors. This “railroad” developed its own language. The “trains” were the large farm wagons that could conceal and carry a number of fugitives. The “tracks” were the back county roads which were used to escape from the slave catchers. The “stations” were the homes where the slaves were fed and cared for as they moved along. The “conductors” were the fearless men and women of both races who led the slaves toward freedom, and the “passengers” or “parcels” were the slaves who dared to break for liberty. Passengers paid no fare and conductors received no pay. The Underground Railroad was the route taken by the slaves to reach free states above the Mason Dixon Line and in Canada. Two major routes passed through Niagara Falls.
The fugitive slaves hid in woods, in swamps, in caves, and in the tall weeds. They swam rivers and rode rafts and logs to the free shore. They were shipped in boxes; they were stowed away under produce, tucked among trunks and boxed in baggage cars. The men were often disguised as women and the women as men. They were at times even concealed in coffins. The fugitives were hidden in homes, barns, stables, basement vaults, attics, secret chambers, root cellars, corn cribs, hay stacks, churches, even in church belfries.
The men and women, Negro and white, who ran this secret railroad were aristocrats and humble farmers, intellectuals and unlettered workmen anyone who had compassion for the oppressed reputations, and their personal safety. The wealthy and prominent braved social ostracism while pouring their time and money into the cause for freedom.

What is the Stations of the Underground Railroad Project?
Stations of the Underground Railroad is a public art project emphasizing community involvement. Seven sculptures commemorating the Underground Railroad Movement have been purchased through the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University for the people of the Niagara region. The sculptures were originally placed at Artpark in Lewiston in 1988 as a temporary installation. The were then purchased by the Castellani Art Museum with the help of the National Endowment of the Arts and a private donation. Six of them have now been permanently placed in sites in Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Niagara University, Lockport, and Pekin in Niagara County, NY and Niagara on the Lake in Ontario, Canada. In the spring of 1993, the last Station was placed in Baker, NY each of these sites was chosen with the participation of the communities involved.
Why is an Art Museum involved?
The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University seeks to expand its outreach to the diverse communities of the Niagara region. Rather than acting solely as a display venue for works of art, the Museum wishes to involve the entire community in its activities, inviting the public to take an active role in shaping the institutions who serve it. The history of the Underground Railroad is an outstanding example of the strength and tenacity of the human spirit, qualities essential to the creation of art. The Museum is fortunate to have received the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council for the Arts in implementing the Underground Railroad Project was well as its educational outreach programs.
Who made the sculptures?
The Stations sculptures were created by a team of artists: Houston Conwill, sculptor, Estella Conwill Majozo, poet, and Joseph DePace, architect. Houston Conwill is a distinguished African-American sculptor who has completed installation projects as the Brooklyn Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Alternative Museum in New York, as well as many other sites throughout the United States. Estella Conwill Majozo, Houston’s sister, has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa and has published her poetry through the Third World Press, the Macaenas Press, and various other journals. Joseph DePace has an Masters of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University. He has won many competitions and fellowships, including the Steedman Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, the Gandhi Competition in New Delhi, and a project exhibition at the Venice Biennale in Architecture.
What do the sculptures mean?
In creating the Stations sculptures, the artistic team sought to recognize the gifts of love and shelter offered to African-American escapees by the communities of Western New York. Each sculpture is a symbolic rendering of a “place to hide, to submerge, to rest within its protective metal walls.” Each sculpture contains an attic, engraved with maps, symbols, and messages. Each sculpture also contains a cellar, engraved with the cryptic correspondence used by Underground Railroad conductors as they sent their passengers on from hiding place to hiding place. Attics and cellars were often utilized as the best places to conceal the fugitives as they continued on their northward journey to Canada. The recessed mirrors in the sculpture are a symbol of the intersection between history and individual lives. They also resemble a watching eye, or “light in the window,” symbolizing both a beacon of safety and the awareness of possible danger. The maps engraved on the attic of each Station contain references tot eh Niagara River as a passage to freedom. Words such as “Chase” and “Wing” are combined with arrows and X-marks to emphasize the perilous journey taking place. Code words such as “irrepressible conflict,” “please forward and oblige,” and “no back charges” are used in the engravings on the cellar doors of the Stations. These engravings are transcriptions of actual notes passed between station masters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. The notes were written in code and often referred to deliveries of produce and other materials in order to safeguard the passage of the fugitives.
How were the sites chosen?
A flyer was sent out to a large mailing list within the Niagara region, including churches, histor8ical societies, community centers, and individuals. This flyer, entitled “We’re Looking for a Home,” described the project and requested information on possible sites. The response was immediate. Many possible sites were suggested, and after following up all the leads and discussing the possibilities, the Museum staff arrived at agreements with community representatives from five sites. The sites and how they were chosen:
1). First Presbyterian Church, Lewiston, NY: This is the burial site of Josiah Tryon, an Abolitionist and station conductor. He used the home of his brother, Amos Tryon, as a hiding place for escapees. This house has seven cellars, hence the decision by Conswill to construct seven Stations. The First Presbyterian Church is located at 504 Cayuga Street, Lewiston, NY.
2). St. John’s A.M.E. Church, Niagara Falls, NY: This church was chosen to recognize the historical role of African =American churches in the Underground Railroad movement. It is located in the heart of the Niagara Falls African-American community, at 917 Garden Avenue, Niagara Falls.
3). The Lockport Y.W.C.A., Lockport, NY: The building housing the Y.W.C.A. was once a private home and Underground Railroad station, where escapees were hidden . It is located at 32 Cottage Street, Lockport.
Parliament Oak School, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada: The Ontario Anti-Slavery act was signed here in 1793. The school is located at 325 King Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake.
4). The Reinbird (formerly Root) Home, Pekin, NY: Abolitionist Thomas Root built this house in the 1850’s and used it as a last stop on the Underground Railroad in that area. Former slaves were hidden in the cellar and barn of the house and transported tot eh Canadian border in a farm wagon containing produce. The house is located on 3106 Upper Mountain Road in Pekin (Sanborn), NY.
Who owns the sculptures?
The sculptures are public art owned by the communities of the Niagara region. The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University is responsible for their maintenance.

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