Freedom Seekers Tour Itinerary

The North Carolina sites featured in this self-guided tour itinerary have been designated by the National Park Service as part of its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. Pick and choose the ones you wish to visit, or tie them all together for an extended tour.

Great Dismal Swamp and Pasquotank River
Elizabeth City, NC area
During the 1800s, African American freedom seekers used the Pasquotank River to escape slavery. Some stowed away on the ships, steamers and boats that traveled through, while others were hired by boat owners and gained transportation to points north where they sough independence as workmen. Upon reaching Elizabeth City, a number of slaves sought refuge in the Great Dismal Swamp, an enormous track of forested wetlands that straddles the North Carolina/Virginia state line. Many used the swamp as a stopping place before continuing on the journey. Some even made a home in the wilderness, living off the land and bartering with local farmers for food and supplies.

Begin your “Freedom Seekers” tour at the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor’s Welcome Center in South Mills (Camden County), three miles south of the Virginia/North Carolina state line on Highway 17. Located on the beautiful and historic Dismal Swamp Canal, the Welcome Center is unique in that it serves both boaters and those who travel by car. Stop in at the visitor center to get you’re your bearings, talk to the friendly staff and gather information for your travels.

New to the Center is the 4.5-mile Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, which extends from the Welcome Center to the village of South Mills. The trail is part of the new North Carolina Birding Trail and East Coast Greenway.

An option for educators, the Elizabeth City State University Great Dismal Swamp Boardwalk Project features a half-mile long boardwalk and observation tower that provides access to 639 miles of wetlands wilderness area for use by Elizabeth City State University in research and educational activities.

Complete your Elizabeth City area visit with a stop along the picturesque downtown waterfront, where you can view the scenic Pasquotank River at Waterfront Park. Known as the “harbor of hospitality,” Elizabeth City is a popular destination whether you arrive by car or boat. Stroll through the city’s six historic districts. Dine at one of the downtown eateries. Or browse some of the specialty shops, art galleries and boutiques. Before you leave, be sure to visit the Museum of the Albemarle, which interprets the history of 13 counties in northeastern North Carolina.

For information on these sites, contact the Elizabeth City Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 252-335-5330.

While visiting the Elizabeth City area, consider excursions to visit these Network To Freedom sites as well:

Harriott Jacobs Tour
Edenton, NC
The most noted escape to freedom that occurred in Edenton took place in 1842 when Harriet Jacobs, after seven years of hiding, fled the area with the assistance of local black watermen. Jacobs hid in a vessel bound for Philadelphia and then traveled to New York and Boston. She later described her harrowing enslavement and escape in a book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1858).

Check in at the Edenton Visitors Center for a self-guided tour brochure on Jacobs’ life. Call 252-482-2637 or go to www.visitedenton.com

Roanoke Island’s Freedom Trail
Manteo, NC
Soon after Confederate forces were defeated on Roanoke Island in 1862, hundreds of freed and runaway slave flocked to the island. It was well know that if one crossed the creek to Roanoke Island they would find “safe haven.” A “Freedmen’s Colony” was soon constructed to accommodate the African American community, which at one point was 4,000 strong. Today, their history is commemorated along the Freedom Trail at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The 1.25-mile trail winds through the woods to a marker by the shores of the Roanoke Sound.

Call 252-473-5772 or go to www.nps.gov/fora

Somerset Place
Creswell, NC
Somerset Place is a representative antebellum plantation offering an insightful view of life during the period before the Civil War. During its 80-year existence as an active plantation (1786-1865), it encompassed as many as 100,000 acres and became one of North Carolina's most prosperous rice, corn, and wheat plantations. It was home to more than three hundred enslaved men, women, and children of African descent -- 80 of whom were brought to Somerset directly from their West African homeland in 1786. Today, visitors can see a realistic view of plantation life by touring the Greek Revival mansion, reproduction slave community, plantation hospital and other buildings.

Call 252-797-4560 or go to www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us

Copeland Burial Site
Rich Square, NC
Henry Copeland, Sr., and his wife Dorothy were known as one of the leading “station keepers” of the Underground Railroad in North Carolina. After arriving in Northampton County in 1843, they soon became involved in harboring freedom seekers by providing food and shelter to those who traveled from Goldsboro to Rich Square, then across the Chowan River to Norfolk. Their burial site is located in Rich Square.

Orange Street Landing On Cape Fear
Wilmington, NC
Underground Railroad activity in Wilmington centered on the Cape Fear River, where vessels entering the city’s port gave bondsmen access to captains and crews with abolitionist sympathies. Despite the watchful eye of the slave patrol, William B. Gould, along with 21 other freedom seekers, executed a successful escape from slavery in 1863 when they commandeered three sailboats at the foot of Orange Street. After passing by Fort Casell, a Confederate Post, they were picked up by Union ships and soon enlisted in the Union Navy as freedmen.

Call 1-866-266-9690 or go to www.capefearcoast.com