Black History:  Special Delivery!!

The Cape Florida Lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, Florida, off the coast of Miami, was one of the major launch areas of the Underground Saltwater Railroad

The “Saltwater Railroad” is the name of the waterway traveled by enslaved persons fleeing from the South to Florida to reach freedom in the British-controlled Bahamas.  The Salt Water Railroad was similar to the Underground Railroad that the enslaved used to flee to northern states enroute to Canada.  The enslaved fleeing to the Bahamas began around the time that the U.S. invaded Spanish Florida.  Spanish Florida had been a location to which many seeking to escape slavery in the South would flee.  However, the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty finalized the U.S. takeover of Florida, making it an unsafe destination for those seeking freedom.    

Accessing freedom in the Bahamas via The Saltwater Railroad began as early as 1821 and continued for 40+ years.  It was primarily used by the enslaved freeing from Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. 

Continue reading “The Southern Underground Railroad: The Saltwater Railroad” →