Gateway to Freedom - Detroit, MI
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S5280ft
N 42° 19.587 W 083° 02.641
17T E 331583 N 4688045
Located in Hart Plaza on the shore of the Detroit River. There is parking various places. It's a question of how much you will pay.
Waymark Code: WM1541
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/17/2007
Views: 234
A scuplture on the Detroit side bank of the Detroit River.
The Gateway to Freedom
International Memorial to the Underground Railroad
Ed Dwight – Sculptor
Dedicated October 20,2001
With companion work “Tower of Freedom” in the Civic Esplanade Windsor, Ontario, Canada
A project of Detroit 300 and the International Underground Railroad Monument Collaborative.
Until Emancipation, Detroit and the Detroit River community served as the gateway to freedom for thousands of African American people escaping enslavement. Detroit was one of the largest terminals of the Underground Railroad, a network of abolitionists aiding enslaved people seeking freedom. Detroit’s Underground Railroad code name was Midnight. At first, Michigan was a destination for freedom seekers, but Canada became a safer sanctuary after slavery was abolished there in 1834. With passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, many runaways left their homes in Detroit and crossed the river to Canada to remain free. Some returned after Emancipation in 1863.
The successful operation of Detroit’s Underground Railroad was due to the effort and cooperation of diverse groups of people, including people of African descent, Whites, and North American Indians. This legacy of Freedom is a vital part of Detroit and its history.
Address:
Hart Plaza
Detroit, MI U.S.A.
48226
Web site: [Web Link]
Site Details: Hart Plaza is open 24 hours a day
Open to the public?: Public
Name of organization who placed the marker: A project of Detroit 300 and the International Underground Railroad Monument Collaborative.
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