Down the hill from my house is a backcountry lane called Freedom Road. As my 6 children were growing up, I loved telling them stories of an Underground Railroad stop in the old barn across from our house and how the escaped slaves, after a short respite from their journey, would then travel down the hill to continue along their road to freedom. How fitting a name and how moving a story – especially to children who could gaze across the street and imagine the historical efforts of humble, brave and noble locals being played out in their own neighborhood. Imagine my delight when I found a rare mention of the Underground Railroad in an October 6, 1854, New York Tribune [1]. As Tim Hughes often reminds us, “History is never more fascinating then when it is read from the day it was first reported”… or when it is in your own backyard.