In the years before the U.S. Civil War, in addition to the well-known Underground Railroad routes to Canada, many escaped slaves also made the treacherous journey into lands to the South. This is the lesser-told story of the routes through Florida and Texas, to Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, and beyond.
South to the Promised Land - Until recently, the southbound Underground Railroad, as it is sometimes called, has been largely overlooked, mainly because it left so few traces in surviving records. No one who escaped slavery by going to Mexico wrote a firsthand account of the experience, as Frederick Douglass and others did about escaping north. Yet, between 3,000 and 10,000 people escaped into Mexico.
The Saltwater Railroad - Another route of the Southern Underground Railroad ran through Florida--sometimes referred to as the Saltwater Railroad. Learn more about the Saltwater Railroad here.
The Flight Of Runaway Slaves To Mexico - This National Public Radio story highlights some of the personal histories of escaped slaves taking the southern route to freedom through Texas.
Silvia Hector Webber - This is the powerful story of a slave becoming free and helping other escaped slaves to freedom in Mexico.