For Tour Operators

By visiting our site, you are only moments away from being able to offer your customers a unique adventure on Rochester’s Underground Railroad!

Imagine cryptic directions whispered over and over again by the farmer, the preacher, and the agent to send determined fugitives from one station to the next … each step both peril and joy! They came running, walking, riding, concealed beneath produce filled wagons; camouflaged by the forested night. Their goal was freedom; their beacon was a star…the North Star. Nowhere did it shine brighter than in Rochester, NY, declared by Frederick Douglass to be the city where he would “always feel more at home” than “anywhere else in the country.”

Tell your customers that they will be introduced to Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Susan B. Anthony!
These three historical figures settled in western New York during the 19th century. Collectively, they created an amazing mosaic in American History. Not only were they recognized nationally for their abolitionist activities, but also for their outstanding contribution to achieving peace, freedom, and equality in this country.

Some of the Underground Railroad ran along Main Street; sometimes it was the Genesee River. Douglass and other agents knew the street and the river route … your customers will learn them too. Vivid reenactments highlight the lives of master agent and orator, Frederick Douglass. Near the site of his Rochester home, they will circle the powerful bronzed likeness of Douglass, the first public statue erected to honor an African American. At his gravesite in nearby Mt. Hope Cemetery, and in the African libation tradition, they will take part in a moving, passionate homage to Douglass and his immediate family members.

Want more?

Before they leave Rochester, they can stop at the site of Douglass’s last home here (it’s now a public elementary school); and learn the relevance of Richardson’s barn and the Warrant Homestead which are documented stops on the Underground Railroad. They can also stroll over to “Kelsey’s Landing,” on the Genesee River, where Frederick Douglass helped fugitives board boats to Canada. When you arrange these and other experiences for your customers, you provide a flavor of Rochester’s contribution to the Underground Railroad Movement … and a visit so uniquely memorable that they’ll salute your ingenuity and come back for more!

Itineraries lasting from 1.5 hours to multiple days can be customized for your group. Please visit the remainder of our site and then contact us to book your tour group for Frederick Douglass’ Rochester.