The Underground Railroad (11 page)

T
he office was crowded on Tuesday evening. There was the professor, Tamika and her mother, Mr. Spinner, and me. With so many people, there was barely enough room to move around.

Professor Tuesday was really excited about something. Once everyone got settled, there was a knock at the door. The professor opened it and there stood a pizza deliveryman.

“I ordered two pizzas as a treat,” the professor said proudly. “I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. I only want two pieces. You can have the rest.”

Mr. Spinner helped serve the snack, dishing out thick, gooey-cheesy slices. It looked and smelled yummy. Professor Tuesday picked up a slice and picked off two mushrooms. Then he went to the map of the United States that was hanging on the wall. He pointed to an area in the middle of the United States with his free hand, a spot along the Ohio River not far from the Indiana-Ohio border.

“This area was one of the major crossing points for what I call the ‘western route' of the Underground Railroad,” the professor said between bites. “In those days, the river was very shallow in places. There were even a few spots that were shallow enough that runaways could actually wade across the river to Ohio.”

He moved his hand to the area east of Cincinnati, Ohio. “This is Ripley, Ohio, the spot where Eliza Harris crossed the river with her child on broken sheets of ice.”

“My dad and I are reading that book about her,” Tamika said proudly.

“Good! Good!” said the professor. “I hope you are enjoying it. Once she crossed the river, she was taken to John Rankin's house where she was given food, clothing, and shelter. Then it was on toward Levi Coffin's house.” His hand moved westward along the Ohio River and settled on a spot in Indiana, just west of Cincinnati. “This is Madison, Indiana, the place where George DeBaptiste lived. Mr. DeBaptiste also sent runaways onward to Levi Coffin's house.”

Professor Tuesday took a bite of pizza, then dabbed the corners of his mouth twice with a napkin. “Once runaway slaves made it to Levi Coffin's house, they could travel north on several different routes. For example, Eliza Harris made her way to Sandusky, Ohio, and took a boat across Lake Erie into Canada. Others may have left the Coffin house and headed northwest toward Westfield, Indiana.” The professor pointed to an area on the map just north of Indianapolis. “From Westfield, they could take several routes that would lead them into the counties of lower Michigan. For example, Laura Haviland sheltered and helped escaped slaves in Albion just north of the Ohio border. The city of Monroe, several areas in Lenawee County, as well as a number of other places, were important stops along the Underground Railroad. There were crossing spots in the middle of the state's southern border as well. Jonesville is just one example. Other runaways found routes that took them to the west side of the state to towns such as Schoolcraft, Niles, Sturgis, and several other locations.”

I raised my hand to ask a question. Professor Tuesday pointed at me and nodded. “Before, you called this area the ‘western route.' Did runaways travel any farther west than Michigan?”

“Excellent! Excellent!” said the professor. “I know that the Underground Railroad operated in Wisconsin. There was also a station in Minnesota. But Michigan was the most active state of the western route because cities such as Port Huron and Detroit are located so close to the Canadian border.”

“Professor,” I said, “what do we do now?”

“I think we should take a closer look at some of the places and people along the routes that wove through Michigan. Plus,” said the professor, “there were some interesting characters in the state who did a lot to abolish slavery and make people aware of how terrible it was.”

“When do we start?” Mrs. Jones asked.

“Right now,” said the professor. “Let's take a look at a route that helped travelers in the west side of the state.”

Just then, we heard a knock. Professor Tuesday excused himself and made his way to the door. When he opened it, there stood his nephew, Mr. Adams, with the Critter Cam.

“I'm glad you made it,” the professor said.

Mr. Adams answered using sign language. I think he was telling the professor that he had come for a visit, but he didn't have a ride home. I've been around Mr. Adams enough to get pretty good at reading sign language.

“That's okay,” the professor replied. “I'll be happy to take you home afterward. Help yourself to some food. I know that cold pizza is your favorite.”

Mr. Adams worked his way into the room, carrying the Critter Cam high above his head. “There isn't a lot of room in here,” noted the professor, “so you'll have to be extra good and not run around.”

Mr. Adams smiled and nodded his head as he edged his way through the crowded room. There were so many people in the small office that the professor had to walk sideways and cross over the top of a table in order to get to his laptop.

Before Professor Tuesday started entering information into his computer, he realized he had forgotten something. “Oh, I forgot,” he said as he waved his hand toward Mr. Adams, “I would like to introduce the adults to Mr. Adams. He's my nephew.” The professor looked down at his computer, then back up again. “Oh, there's something else I forgot: he doesn't like to talk. So if you ask him a question, he'll probably answer in sign language.”

Mr. Spinner and Mrs. Jones waved at Mr. Adams and said hello. Mr. Adams waved back and smiled as he wiped pizza sauce off his face.

Professor Tuesday noticed that Mr. Adams was ready with the remote control for the Critter Cam. Before he opened up his Tuesday Teleporter, he had everyone in the room move back as far as they could so no one would accidently get sent back in time. Everyone started chattering excitedly as they crammed into one side of the office, away from where the teleporter would form. Then the professor gave everyone a final warning.

“Everyone!” shouted the professor as he waved his arms. The room went quiet. “I am about to open up the Tuesday Teleporter to take a look at southern Lower Michigan near Sturgis back in the 1839. We will be looking at a trail that was used by people who were traveling the Underground Railroad. In order to see this trail, we will use the Critter Cam. A camera and a microphone are mounted on it. We can see and hear everything.”

Mr. Adams held the Critter Cam high in the air so that everyone could see it. Professor Tuesday plugged his laptop into a large computer screen then placed the monitor on a tall stack of books so everyone could see.

“That looks like a skunk,” Mr. Spinner said, a smile crossing his face. “Why did the skunk cross the road?”

I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders.

“Why, to go back in time,” answered Mr. Spinner.

I didn't think the joke was very funny, but I smiled just to be polite.

The professor continued. “Everyone needs to stay back while the teleporter is open. No matter what we see or hear, we should all be still and quiet. With all that said, prepare yourselves for a peek into the past.”

P
rofessor Tuesday hit the ENTER key on his laptop with two fingers. The Tuesday Teleporter lit up immediately. Squares of different colored lights formed on the walls of his office and began circling the room.

“This is really cool,” said Mr. Spinner. “It's like going to a rock concert.”

“It makes me sick looking at it,” said Tamika softly. Her mother hugged her closely so she wouldn't be afraid.

A low humming sound started up as the lights circled the room. As the sound grew louder and the lights spun faster, Tamika covered her eyes. Suddenly, everything went quiet and the green cloud appeared off the corner of the professor's desk. Mr. Adams placed the Critter Cam on the floor and powered it up. He pushed on the joystick and the Critter Cam moved into the cloud.

“Watch the monitor,” the professor said.

The screen was still totally black, and there wasn't any sound at all.

“Is it working?” I asked.

“Just watch,” answered the professor as he flipped a switch on a panel next to his laptop. The screen flashed and shapes began to form in shades of green. “I added a night vision device to the Critter Cam. That will allow us to see anything going on in the dark.”

“Wow!” I said. “This will be really interesting.”

As the camera adjusted itself to the low light of nighttime stars and a sliver of the moon, we could clearly make out trees and brush. Mr. Adams moved the Critter Cam ahead slowly.

“There it is!” shouted the professor. “Stop right here.”

I couldn't figure out what he was seeing. Then, after a few moments, I saw it, too. A footpath wound its way through the forest.

“This is one of the routes that escaped slaves used to travel north from Indiana into Michigan,” said the professor. “I don't know if we'll see anything or not, but it's worth watching for a while.”

The Critter Cam sat motionless. We could hear the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs in the background. As we watched and waited, the professor asked us if we had any questions.

“How did runaway slaves know which routes to take?” Mr. Spinner asked.

“Generally, they were given very specific directions or were taken by wagon or a guide to the next station along the Underground Railroad. A while back Tamika and Jesse saw a wagon loaded with slaves leaving the area north of Madison, Indiana, and a couple of wagons arriving at Levi Coffin's house in Freeport, Indiana. They were moving along one section of the Underground Railroad,” the professor answered as he adjusted his reading classes on his nose. “What the Critter Cam is seeing this evening is a narrow path through the countryside. If we get a chance to see runaways, we'll see how they traveled this route.”

Mrs. Jones spoke up. “Rumors and stories also spread among the slaves in the south, rumors about where to go to get help on their journeys. In fact, there were messages in many of the songs that they sang, such as following the North Star to freedom.”

“How did runaway slaves know who to trust?” I asked.

“That was tricky,” said Mrs. Jones. “Slaveholders paid good money for people to return slaves who escaped. There were many who offered to help runaways only to turn them over to the slave catchers for a reward.” She thought for a moment before continuing. “I am ashamed to say that there were even African-Americans who turned in their own people for money.”

“How awful!” Tamika said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

Nothing seemed to be happening on the computer monitor. We sat silently for a while, watching the green screen. Then I asked, “What are we waiting for?” Professor Tuesday just held up his hand. It was his way of telling me to be quiet.

We waited for about an hour. I think I may have drifted off to sleep for a bit. Then Professor Tuesday spoke up. “Mr. Adams, why don't we follow the trail with the Critter Cam?”

Mr. Adams moved the Critter Cam forward, climbing over rocks and roots. It went around puddles and fallen trees. He moved it along until the path parted, splitting into two different routes. Mr. Adams talked to Professor Tuesday using sign language.

“He wants to know which way slaves might go once they get to this point in the trail,” the professor told us.

“Look at the trees in the split in the path,” Mrs. Jones said as she pointed to the center of the screen.

“Splendid! Splendid!” Professor Tuesday said. “I'm pleased you were able to join us tonight.”

Professor Tuesday instructed Mr. Adams to move the Critter Cam closer so we could inspect the trees just ahead. “Look very carefully at each tree at a point about two or three feet above the ground.”

The Critter Cam circled each of the trees, inspecting them carefully. “There,” said the professor, “there it is.”

“There what is?” I asked.

The professor pointed at something small sticking out of the side of the tree. “That nail,” he said, “see it?”

We all bent our heads toward the computer screen. Sure enough, there was a nail driven into the side of the tree a couple of feet above the ground.

“People who helped out on the Underground Railroad often used a nail to show which path was the safest to take,” the professor noted.

“That was really smart,” I said.

“It was,” Mrs. Jones answered. “There were lives at risk in those days and people had to be very clever.”

“The nail is on the left side of the tree,” the professor noted. “That means if any runaways are taking this path tonight, they should take the path on the left and it will lead toward the town of Schoolcraft.”

Professor Tuesday took a quick look at his wristwatch. “Oh, my, it's getting late. Why don't we agree to get back together next Tuesday night? Maybe we can follow the trail a little further.”

“Do you have any homework for us?” I asked.

“No,” the professor said, looking at Tamika, “not this week.”

“Whew,” Tamika said as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

“May I come back next week?” Mr. Spinner asked.

“As long as you don't bring along any more of those bad jokes,” I said.

We all had a good laugh.

“Everyone is welcome to come,” the professor answered. “Maybe I'll arrange for us to meet in a conference room so we have more space. I think we'll try to visit someone famous next week.”

“Who?” Tamika's mother asked.

The professor just smiled. “You'll just have to wait and see.”

T
he time flew after the whole group of us met with Professor Tuesday. Tamika seemed to be more sure of herself, and she was eager to find out more about the path that led escaped slaves north into Michigan.