This Saturday, February 1 at 10:30 a.m., the West Florida Genealogical Society will present: How Pensacola Was Involved in the Underground Railroad. The talk will be held at the downtown branch of the West Florida Public Library.
If you are unable to attend in person, you can register to view the event via Zoom at this link: Underground Railroad Talk
Park Ranger Casimer Rosiecki will give a presentation on the role the fort played in helping enslaved Americans to freedom.
The National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom accepted Fort Pickens, managed by Gulf Islands National Seashore, as one of over 650 sites, programs, and facilities within the Network.
Fort Pickens, located on Pensacola Bay in northwest Florida, became a destination for freedom seekers starting in 1861. Eight enslaved people sought their freedom at the fort one month before the start of the Civil War. The commanding Union officer, however, sent them back to slavery. As a Union base throughout the war, untold numbers of freedom seekers chose to make their way to Fort Pickens later in 1861 and in 1862. In 1864, elements of the 25th U.S. Colored Troops marched into the fort. From Fort Pickens, these Black soldiers fought to defend the Union and destroy slavery.
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom serves to honor, preserve, and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. The Network currently represents over 650 locations in 40 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its mission, the Network to Freedom helps to advance the idea that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.
Ft. Pickens is a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which was created in 1971. The national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitats.
Visit www.nps.gov/GulfIslands, on Facebook www.facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/GulfIslandsNPS for more on this beautiful national seashore.
