“The Underground Railroad in the Adirondack Town of Chester” by Donna Lagoy and Laura Seldman

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What a fine bit of historical research these authors engaged in and presented in this book.

In an effort to expand the understanding of the history of Chester, a town in the southeastern area of the Adirondack Park, the authors scrupulously researched evidence, both material and story-based, of activity in support of the Underground Railroad and slaves seeking freedom. Putting the actions of some of Chester’s citizens in context, the authors provide a very useful history of the Underground Railroad, and a history of Chester itself, as well as a discussion of their own process in undertaking the research.

Although there were rumors about houses involved in the Underground Railroad, no formal effort had been made to confirm the stories, nor to add to Chester’s historical record the role it played in the Underground Railroad. Following the lead of famous Adirondack antislavery activist Gerrit Smith, who named specific members of the community as helpful in the campaign against slavery, the authors researched the histories of those families and their homes and as well interviewed area residents whose family tradition contained tales of assisting slaves, or of mysterious sections of old houses and artifacts found there. The research effort was actually initiated when the Chester community took action to address the crumbling edifice of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, a confirmed site on the Underground Railroad.

The brief history of the Underground Railroad makes fascinating reading, and the coming together of Chester and some of its surrounding communities and its founding families and industries was also of great interest. From Albany and Troy, central hotbeds of antislavery activity and major stops on the Underground Railroad, the trail of safe houses traces the Hudson River north to communities of Quakers and other sympathetic churches, as well as individuals.

Things get a bit confusing when the book turns to some specific houses, as the information specific to the Underground Railroad is scant, and the cited recollections of the homeowners often wander from the actual information about how the house may have been used for escaping slaves. A section on quilts is also confusing, as it begins with the assertion that it is a myth that quilts were used to signal African Americans to safe houses, but then the section goes on to feature several quilts.

An appendix supplies the actual diary of Gerrit Smith, which also makes for interesting reading as he muses aloud about the possibilities of each community he visited in becoming leaders in the fight against slavery. He had great faith in some of the leaders in Chester to help him in his campaign.

The authors have done fine service to historical research and to Chester’s sense of its own past.