Silhouette photo of man carrying candle lantern with lighted candle - underground railroad sites

Self-guided · metro area, New York

Underground Railroad Sites in Elmira, NY

Homes, meetinghouses and crossings tied to the Underground Railroad and the people who helped freedom seekers move north.

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Photo: Julia Florczak on Unsplash

History books cover the big events in a chapter each. The places those events touched are scattered across counties like this one. The Elmira, NY metro area has about 80,415 residents, ranking 380th in the country.

A person holding a lit lantern in the dark - underground railroad sites — Photo: Subhro Vision on Unsplash

Portrait of Harriet Tubman - underground railroad sites — Photo: Library of Congress on Unsplash

Four brown wooden benches inside house - underground railroad sites — Photo: Tracy Jentzsch on Unsplash

On the record near Elmira, NY

The 12 nearest

38 listed sites on the record match underground railroad sites within 200 miles of Elmira, NY, out of 81 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

North Street Friends Meetinghouse47 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Ledyard · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places
1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse69 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Farmington · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
Catawissa Friends Meetinghouse81 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Catawissa · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
Quakertown Passenger and Freight Station138 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Quakertown · listed 2000National Register of Historic Places
Friends Meetinghouse144 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Dover · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
Quaker Manor House159 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Fort Washington · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse159 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Plymouth Meeting · listed 1971National Register of Historic Places
Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition Hall159 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Plymouth Meeting · listed 1971National Register of Historic Places
Radnor Friends Meetinghouse162 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Ithan · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
Newtown Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery162 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Newtown · listed 1977National Register of Historic Places
Birmingham Friends Meetinghouse and School164 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Birmingham · listed 1971National Register of Historic Places
Parkersville Friends Meetinghouse165 miles from the center of Elmira · Building · Parkersville · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Elmira, NY. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Underground Railroad in Elmira, step by step

1
Read the short history of the period for this area
2
Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter
3
Visit the nearest site and read its full record
4
Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest
5
Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Elmira, NY ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Elmira, NY?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Elmira, NY?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Elmira

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Elmira, NY the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Elmira, NY are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.