http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/ugrr/exugrr1.htm

Although the Underground Railroad has been an integral part of American history and folklore for well over 150 years, the recent past has seen an increased public interest in the identification of historic sites associated with the experiences of fugitive slaves. Since the late 1960s, many researchers have utilized the perspectives and methodologies of archeologists, anthropologists, social historians to focus on the lives and communities of enslaved and free Americans.

Their methods permit historic site administrators, interpreters, and members of the general public to create more meaningful, inclusive, and documented accounts of the Underground Railroad. Because historic sites play a critical role in interpreting our national heritage to a broad audience, it is important that public historians supplement oral narratives and legends of the Underground Railroad with documentation that supports local accounts. It is also important to place the Underground Railroad in the broader context of slavery and American history.

Researching and Interpreting the Underground Railroad is the second in a series of guides designed to help National Park Service staff, members of the public, and administrators of historic properties produce, review and evaluate interpretive programs and http://www.nps.gov/ugrr/Graphics/FrontEnd. This booklet includes a brief contextual statement about North American slavery, a review of historical scholarship about the Underground Railroad and related topics, and suggestions for using a variety of sources to construct responsible and meaningful interpretations. The booklet also provides examples of how to use these sources and to document and interpret specific cases of Underground Railroad activity.


How to document UGRR properties for National Register of National Historic Landmark listing

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/themee.htm

Identifying historic properties associated with the Underground Railroad is an extremely varied task. To help the researcher understand the various aspects of the Underground Railroad, the Underground Railroad in the United States Theme Study is divided into sections that focus on a complex but related series of historical activities and geographic regions, referred to generally as the Underground Railroad.

This theme study is not exhaustive. It briefly reviews the history of slavery and of North American resistance to slavery, excluding Canada. It evaluates examples of structures, buildings, communities, regions and transportation routes related to fugitives from slavery. These examples do not encompass all the varieties of Underground Railroad activity that were ever enacted. No study could make that claim.

However, the theme study provides a structure into which researchers may fit more information and evidence as it is developed. The theme study also describes aspects of antislavery activity and slave resistance that are precursors to the Underground Railroad story but which contribute to its emergence. This context study treats such events, often historically important in their own right, as connected to the Underground Railroad story.


What is the National Register?

There are 41 Underground Railroad sites on the National Register. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archaeological resources significant at the local, state and national level. Administered by the National Park Service under the Secretary of Interior, properties listed in the National Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. Nominations to the National Register should be submitted through the appropriate State Historic Preservation Office. There are approximately 70,000 National Register listings representing over one million individual resources.


What is a National Historic Landmark?

There are 18 Underground Railroad sites that are National Historical Landmarks. National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture. Many of the most renowned historic properties in the nation are NHLs. Mount Vernon, Pearl Harbor, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., birthplace are landmarks that illustrate important contributions to the NationÕs historical development. There are over 2,000 NHLs that have been designated by the Secretary of Interior for their significance to all Americans. NHLs are considered part of the National Register, and are listed with properties significant at the state and local levels.


Benefits of National Register listing

The National Register program provides Federal, State and local governments and the general public with the following:

• National recognition of the value of historic properties individually and collectively to the nation.
• Eligibility for federal tax incentives and other preservation assistance.
• Assistance in cultural resource planning.

There is no federal restriction on what a private owner can do if a building is listed in the NR, although there may be local or state restrictions.


Preserving Underground Railroad properties


Federal funds for Underground Railroad properties

Federal funds for preserving or protecting Underground Railroad properties are not directly available. Limited federal grants through the Historic Preservation Fund may be available through state offices but will vary from state to state. Property owners should check with their State Historic Preservation Officer to find out about the availability of Federal and State funds. Often State and local governments have grant and loan programs available for historic preservation, though these funds tend to be for small amounts. National Register listing is a condition for receiving grants and loans from many State and local governments as well as private sources. Some funding sources give National Historic Landmarks higher priority for funding than other historic properties. There are also Federal income tax incentives available for donating easements and for rehabilitating income-generating historic buildings.

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