The Underground Railroad in Ypsilanti

By Josh, age 7

The Underground Railroad was not a train that ran underground, but is a way that slaves escaped.  They escaped from the states in the south where slavery was allowed.  They wanted to go north, especially to Canada.  The slaves would travel at night and would sleep in hiding places during the day.  Some people secretly helped them along the way by leading them, by feeding them, giving them a place to sleep. Sometimes they left things or toys behind in their hiding places.

The first place we saw was the Starkweather homestead on Huron River Drive in Ypsilanti.  There was a large farm around the house.  The Huron River and the railroad ran behind the home.  George and Millie McCoy used to be slaves and they lived in the cabin behind the house.  They helped work on the farm.  George was also a captain in the Underground Railroad.  George sold his tobacco and other crops at a market in Wyandotte. He would hide slaves under the floorboards of his wagon.  Then after he sold his things, he will take the slaves to the Detroit River so they could cross.

We also saw the graveyard where William Harwood was buried.  William Harwood is important because he built the first schoolhouse in Ypsilanti.  He also built a river dam and a mill.  Harwood also helped hide escaping slaves.  Mr. Harwood was also helped by Brother Ray.  His real name is Asher Aray.  Asher Aray was mixed black.  He was famous because he helped a big group of 28 slaves escape.  Asher Aray and William Harwood are buried in the same cemetery in Pittsfield Township.

Between 1850 and 1900 for every 3 black people in Ypsilanti, 2 of them said they were born in Canada or in Southern States.  That means they were probably escaped slaves or the children of escaped slaves.  One escaped slave was Isa Stewart.  Isa Stewart gave the land that the Brown Chapel AME Church is on.  The church was built in the middle 1800s.  It was in the part of Ypsilanti where a lot of black people lived. The church is important because it was a place for them to meet and plan.

Mom's Note:
This post was put together by Josh for a school project.  Special thanks go to Deborah Meadows, who picked up the phone when we found her contact info online, who inspired us with her stories, and who gave us a list of local places to go and see.  Also to Ron Rupert, who gave us a personal tour of the Starkweather Homestead and showed us the Underground Railroad relics he found during his painstaking renovations of the property.