Overview
The underground railroad enabled thousands of African Americans to escape slavery in the South during the 1800's. It was an impressive system of secret routes and housing made possible by the courage and strong antislavery beliefs of its conductors and stationmasters. Harboring and transporting fugitive slaves not only was a violation of the law but also involved personal risk. Although Wilfred Cummings was not a real person, his story is based on real accounts of the people who actually operated the underground railroad in the decades that preceded the Civil War (1861-1865).