The Underground Railroad, Part 1


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.5 stars; 46 reviews)

”It was my good fortune to lend a helping hand to the weary travelers flying from the land of bondage.” William Still.

"Dear Sir:—For most of the years I have lived, the escape of fugitives from slavery, and their efforts to baffle the human and other bloodhounds who tracked them, formed the romance of American History. That romance is now ended, and our grandchildren will hardly believe its leading incidents except on irresistible testimony. I rejoice that you are collecting and presenting that testimony, and heartily wish you a great success." Horace Greeley.

William Still is often called the Father of the Underground Railroad. Over 14 years, he helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom in Canada. Still was committed to preserving the stories of the bondmen and he kept careful records of the many escaped slaves who passed through the Philadelphia “station”. The Underground Railroad was published in 1871 from Still’s records and diaries. In bringing you these stories, Librivox volunteers are reading from the 1878 edition. (Summary by MaryAnn)

Complete list of recordings comprising this book:
The Underground Railroad, Part 1,
The Underground Railroad, Part 2,
The Underground Railroad, Part 3,
The Underground Railroad, Part 4,
The Underground Railroad, Part 5. (6 hr 44 min)

Chapters

00 - Preface 9:02 Read by MaryAnn
01 - Seth Concklin - Part 1 17:53 Read by MaryAnn
02 - Seth Concklin - Part 2 12:21 Read by MaryAnn
03 - Seth Concklin - Part 3 10:29 Read by MaryAnn
04 - Seth Concklin - Part 4 15:51 Read by MaryAnn
05 - Underground Railroad Letters - Part 1 14:04 Read by TriciaG
06 - Underground Railroad Letters - Part 2 14:31 Read by TriciaG
07 - William Box Peel Jones 7:38 Read by Patrick Wells
08 - Wesley Harris and the Matterson Brothers 10:41 Read by Patrick Wells
09 - Death of Romulus Hall 9:16 Read by Patrick Wells
10 - James Mercer, William H. Gilliam and John Clayton 17:46 Read by Lynne T
11 - Clarissa Davis 6:18 Read by Lynne T
12 - Anthony Blow; Perry Johnson 8:50 Read by Lynne T
13 - Isaac Forman, William Davis and Willis Redick, Joseph Henry Camp 10:29 Read by Maria Kasper
14 - Sheridan Ford; Joseph Kneeland 5:22 Read by Cheri Jordan
15 - Ex-President Tyler's Household Loses An Aristocratic "Article"; Edward Mor… 11:00 Read by Maria Kasper
16 - Henry Predo; Daniel Hughes, Thomas Elliott 7:51 Read by Greg Giordano
17 - Mary Epps; Joseph and Robert Robinson 14:59 Read by Onjana Yawnghwe
18 - George Solomon, Daniel Neall, Benjamin R. Fletcher and Maria Dorsey 8:15 Read by Onjana Yawnghwe
19 - Henry Box Brown 20:36 Read by Onjana Yawnghwe
20 - Trial of the Emancipators of Colonel J.H. Wheeler's Slaves, Jane Johnson a… 16:19 Read by Lynne T
21 - Trial of the Emancipators of Colonel J.H. Wheeler's Slaves, Jane Johnson a… 17:32 Read by Lynne T
22 - The Arrivals of a Single Month - Part 1 14:52 Read by Maria Kasper
23 - The Arrivals of a Single Month - Part 2 11:34 Read by Maria Kasper
24 - The Arrivals of a Single Month - Part 3 14:47 Read by Maria Kasper
25 - The Arrivals of a Single Month - Part 4 6:58 Read by Maria Kasper
26 - The Arrivals of a Single Month - Part 5 9:21 Read by Maria Kasper
27 - A Slave Girl's Narrative - Cordelia Lonely 15:10 Read by Cheri Jordan
28 - Arrival of Jackson, Isaac and Edmondson Turner from Petersburg 13:51 Read by Lee Smalley
29 - Robert Brown; Anthony Lonely and Cornelius Scott; Samuel Williams 10:35 Read by Lee Smalley
30 - Barnaby and Mary Elizabeth Grigby, Frand Wazner, Emily Foster 16:17 Read by Patrick Wells
31 - William Jordan 7:27 Read by Greg Giordano
32 - Joseph Grant and John Speaks 7:10 Read by Greg Giordano
33 - William Taylor; Louisa Brown, Jacob Waters and Alfred Goulden; Arrival fro… 9:16 Read by Patrick Wells

Reviews

Amazing


(5 stars)

Great read, real letters and stories from those living during Americas darkest time.

a collection of letters/messages


(2 stars)

i got through about an hour or more of this and i just couldnt listen any longer. the reader did a fine job, its not the readers fault. its just a hard text to read. it seems like a collection of letters. some very choppy & non-descript - incomplete sentences. it makes it very hard to follow. i listen to books while working, so i cant focus so much on a book as this one requires. this is one i am sure i would like if i sat down & read it for myself paying total & complete attention to it. if you can do that, then give it a listen & see how you like it. but i just have to give up on it.

A beautiful book, well read. TY LibriVox and volunteer readers.


(5 stars)

Stories are Raycyst


(3.5 stars)

Most these stories were written and narrated by cis gendered white people. The author William Still suffered internalized Raycysm that caused him to affect the culture of the white oppressors. He just is not BIPOC enough for modern sensibilities of what it means to be a BIPOC. For all practical purposes he is a white person despite his abundance of melatonin. Kind of like the Wayne's Bros. Being that, white people need to Stop invading BIPOC culture and colonizing black history. Needs to be rewritten with a more authentic BIPOC voice. Needs more existential angst at the systemic raycysm undermining the very soul of BIPOC culture. Finally it would be really helpful if it would include the oppression of LatinX Americans being oppressed by the southern border. That way it could express a unified view on peoples oppressed by heteronotmative white maleS. Stories need to be censored or at least shunned to allow BIPOC voices to maintain an inclusive space free from white colonizers.