Underground Railroad Network to Freedom — NPS National Thematic Program

The Underground Railroad Network to Freedom — authorized by the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-203), codified at 54 U.S.C. §§ 301701–301711 — is a national thematic program administered by the National Park Service. For the broader historic preservation framework that governs site recognition, see historic preservation and antiquities. that identifies, preserves, interprets, and promotes sites, programs, and facilities associated with the Underground Railroad: the network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to freedom in the antebellum United States, primarily between the 1780s and 1865. Unlike a national park or national heritage area, the Network to Freedom is not a geographic designation of a bounded landscape — it is a distributed recognition network: NPS certifies individual sites, facilities, and educational programs across the country (and in Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico, where freedom-seekers also traveled) as official Network to Freedom members, providing a national brand, technical assistance, interpretive standards, and modest grant funding. As of 2026, the Network includes over 650 member sites and programs in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and the Caribbean, ranging from individual safe houses and churches to museums, historic districts, and university programs. The program also administers the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio — a major museum at a historic Ohio River crossing point — and supports the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland, which is the most-visited Underground Railroad site in the NPS system. The Network to Freedom reflects a broader congressional recognition since the 1990s that African American history — long underrepresented in the national park system — deserves dedicated federal investment in preservation and interpretation.

Current Law (2026)

Legal Authority

• 54 U.S.C. § 301701 — Findings and purpose: Congress finds that the Underground Railroad was a significant American freedom movement that should be recognized, preserved, and interpreted for present and future generations; the Act is intended to honor the courage and determination of freedom seekers and their allies
• 54 U.S.C. § 301702 — Definitions: "Network" means the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom; "associated site" means a location, facility, or program associated with the Underground Railroad that meets the criteria established by the Secretary
• 54 U.S.C. § 301703 — National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program: the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a program to be known as the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom; the program shall be administered by the NPS
• 54 U.S.C. § 301704 — Additions to the network: the Secretary may add sites, facilities, and programs to the Network after review and determination that they meet the criteria for association with the Underground Railroad; the Secretary shall establish criteria for membership and a process for application and review
• 54 U.S.C. § 301705 — Assistance: the Secretary may provide technical and financial assistance to Network members for preservation, education, and interpretation activities; assistance is contingent on members meeting and maintaining NPS standards
• 54 U.S.C. § 301706 — Matching requirements: federal assistance under the program requires a matching contribution from the recipient; amounts and match ratios established in regulations
• 54 U.S.C. § 301707 — Oversight and coordination: the Secretary shall ensure coordination among Network members, NPS units, and other federal agencies; shall provide interpretive materials and educational resources for use by members
• 54 U.S.C. § 301708 — Annual report: the Secretary shall report to Congress annually on the program's activities, new member additions, funding, and interpretive initiatives
• 54 U.S.C. § 301709 — Elimination of sites: the Secretary may remove a site from the Network if it no longer meets the membership criteria or fails to maintain required standards
• 54 U.S.C. § 301710 — Freedom Center: the Secretary may provide assistance to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, which serves as a major interpretive facility for the Network
• 54 U.S.C. § 301711 — Authorization of appropriations: authorizes such sums as necessary for the Network to Freedom program; annual appropriations have been in the range of $1–2 million

The Underground Railroad — Historical Context

What the Underground Railroad was. The Underground Railroad was not a single organization, did not have a president or charter, and did not use literal tunnels or railroads. It was a decentralized network of individuals — both Black and white, enslaved and free — who provided assistance to freedom seekers escaping slavery in the antebellum South. Routes ran north from the upper South through border states to free states and Canada; east from the interior to coastal cities; and occasionally south and west to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Native American territories. Assistance took many forms: hiding freedom seekers in homes, barns, and churches; providing food, clothing, and money; falsifying travel documents; and guiding individuals through unfamiliar territory.

Scale and geography. Historians estimate that between 30,000 and 100,000 freedom seekers used the Underground Railroad from the late 18th century through the Civil War. The network was most active in the decades before the Civil War, intensifying after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required even residents of free states to participate in capturing and returning escaped enslaved people — turning previously sympathetic Northern communities into active participants in the Railroad. Major routes included the Ohio River crossings (Cincinnati, Ripley, Marietta); the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore of Maryland (Harriet Tubman's primary operational area); the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia; and Lake Erie crossings to Canada.

The documentation challenge. The Underground Railroad was deliberately clandestine — participants did not keep records precisely because discovery meant death or re-enslavement. This makes historical documentation difficult: many claimed associations are based on oral history, later memoirs, and circumstantial evidence rather than contemporaneous primary sources. The NPS Network to Freedom program's documentation standard — requiring primary source evidence for membership — was a response to the proliferation of unsubstantiated "Underground Railroad" claims at historic sites as the program's visibility increased. Rigorous documentation is both a scholarly and an ethical obligation.

Key Numbers

• 650+: Network to Freedom member sites and programs (2026)
• 41: U.S. states with Network members (plus D.C., Canada, Caribbean)
• 30,000–100,000: Estimated freedom seekers who used the Underground Railroad
• 1850: Year Fugitive Slave Act intensified Underground Railroad activity and Northern engagement
• 1998: Year of Network to Freedom Act authorization (Pub. L. 105-203)
• ~$1–2 million: Annual federal appropriation for Network to Freedom program
• 13 documented trips: Number of trips Harriet Tubman made back into slave territory to guide freedom seekers after her own escape
• 300: Approximate number of freedom seekers Harriet Tubman personally guided to freedom
• Cincinnati, OH: Location of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, opened 2004

How It Affects You

If you are a museum, historic site, library, or educational institution with Underground Railroad connections: The Network to Freedom offers federal recognition, technical assistance from NPS historians, interpretive resources, modest grant funding, and national marketing visibility in exchange for documented historical association and maintained interpretive standards. The application process requires demonstrating Underground Railroad significance through primary sources — oral history alone is generally not sufficient. NPS regional coordinators can advise on documentation standards. Network membership increases a site's eligibility for Historic Preservation Fund grants and other NPS funding.

If you are an educator or researcher: NPS has developed extensive interpretive and educational materials through the Network to Freedom program — lesson plans, primary source guides, thematic studies on specific routes and conductors, and a national database of Network members searchable by state and theme. The NPS Underground Railroad Special Resource Study (2000) and subsequent scholarship provide the most comprehensive federal assessment of the Railroad's geography and history. The National Archives holds key primary sources including Freedmen's Bureau records and civil rights-era testimony.

If you visit historic sites or practice heritage tourism: The Network to Freedom map (available at nps.gov/ugrr) provides a searchable database of 650+ verified member sites across the country — from the Levi Coffin House (Indiana) to the John Rankin House (Ohio) to the Harriet Tubman National Monument (Maryland) to the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (Ohio). Many are small, local sites that would be difficult to find without the national network. The national brand of Network membership signals a documented historical association rather than a marketing claim.

If you work in African American history, civil rights, or cultural preservation: The Network to Freedom is one component of a broader effort to integrate African American history into the national park system and federal preservation framework. Related programs include the African American Civil Rights Network (authorized 2017), the Reconstruction Era National Monument (South Carolina), and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. The NPS "A Richer Understanding" initiative has documented the underrepresentation of African American history in NPS units and has driven new designations. The Network to Freedom's distributed model — recognizing sites and programs outside NPS boundaries — is particularly important for African American history, which is deeply embedded in communities, churches, and private properties rather than in federally owned landscapes.

Anchor Sites and Programs

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument (Maryland): Established by President Obama in 2013, managed by NPS, covering the Eastern Shore of Maryland where Tubman was born, enslaved, and began her freedom-seeking journeys. The site includes the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, MD (opened 2017) and partners with the adjacent Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The most-visited Underground Railroad NPS site.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, Ohio): A major museum opened in 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River — a primary crossing point for freedom seekers from Kentucky into Ohio. The Freedom Center holds artifacts, documents, and interactive exhibits; conducts educational programming; and serves as a national interpretive hub for the Network. NPS provides financial assistance to the Freedom Center under 54 U.S.C. § 301710.

Levi Coffin House (Fountain City, Indiana): A National Historic Landmark often called the "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad" — the home of Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin, who with his wife Catherine harbored over 2,000 freedom seekers. A key interpretive site for understanding white abolitionist participation in the Railroad.

John Rankin House (Ripley, Ohio): Home of Rev. John Rankin, visible from the Kentucky shore across the Ohio River; a beacon for freedom seekers crossing the river. Rankin harbored hundreds over decades; the house is a National Historic Landmark and state historic site.

Pending Legislation (119th Congress)

• African American Civil Rights Network expansion: Related legislation to expand NPS's African American heritage programming and create additional network designations; the 2017 African American Civil Rights Network Act (Pub. L. 115-104) established a parallel network for civil rights era sites
• Network to Freedom reauthorization and funding increase: Annual appropriations advocacy for increased Network funding; the program has operated on a relatively flat budget since 1998 despite significant expansion in membership
• Harriet Tubman $20 bill: Treasury Department redesign of the $20 bill to feature Harriet Tubman, announced by Obama administration, delayed by Trump first term, reaffirmed by Biden, not yet issued as of 2026; related to but independent of the NPS program

Recent Developments

The 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (2020) and ongoing national reckoning with racial history following the George Floyd protests have significantly increased interest in and visitation to Underground Railroad sites. The Network to Freedom saw a notable increase in membership applications from 2020–2023 as institutions that had quietly claimed Underground Railroad associations sought formal federal recognition. NPS has maintained its rigorous documentation standards, declining some applications that could not meet the primary-source evidentiary threshold.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument's visitor center — completed in 2017 — has been among the most-visited NPS openings in recent years, drawing visitors to a region of Maryland (Dorchester County) that had limited heritage tourism infrastructure. The NPS has documented significant economic impact from the monument's opening for the surrounding rural community.

• Trump anti-DEI executive orders raised questions about NTF program scope in 2025: EO 14173 directing federal agencies to eliminate DEI programs prompted NPS to review interpretive programming; the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program — which focuses on an unambiguously historical subject (slavery and emancipation) — was not directly targeted, but some NPS sites reported receiving guidance to review any materials characterized as "equity-focused."
• DOGE NPS staffing reductions threatened NTF program capacity: the National Park Service faced significant workforce reductions in early 2025, including cuts to interpretive and heritage tourism staff; with fewer rangers and education specialists, NTF-affiliated sites have reduced programming capacity even as visitation to heritage sites remains strong.
• Harriet Tubman National Historical Park visitor numbers remained high: the park drew over 100,000 visitors in FY2024, validating the rural economic impact model; local advocates are monitoring NPS budget allocations to ensure infrastructure investment in the visitor center and trail network continues despite broader federal spending pressures.