Special Collections commemorates Black History Month (African American History Month) with its featured book for February: The Search for the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York written by Tom Calarco, who calls himself an “Underground Railroad conductor.” He writes “… after getting immersed in old books, microfilm, neglected archives, and the crumbling pages of rare newspapers to learn the secret routes and forgotten stories of that legendary operation, I feel as if I have been there, on many of those journeys that brought fleeing slaves to safety and freedom.”
Today much of the history of the Underground Railroad remains shrouded in secrecy. After decades of research, Tom Calarco recounts his experiences compiling evidence to give credence to the legend’s oral history in Upstate New York and to add to the development of the true history of the Underground Railroad. The Search for the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York tells of Calarco’s journey of discovery.
Calarco is the author/editor of six books and over thirty articles on the Underground Railroad. He speaks widely and has presented papers at the National Parks Service’s “Network to Freedom” conference and the Underground Railroad Project of the Capital Region conference.
The Search for the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York is part of the Local History Collection. To read it and learn more about the Underground Railroad in New York State, please visit Special Collections, located on the second floor of the Bartle Library. Special Collections is open Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.