In 1998, Federal legislation created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom under the National Park Service to commemorate the places and people who shaped the journey to freedom. Network to Freedom sites are documented places of Freedom Seekers, routes they took, places they stayed, those who assisted, and sometimes places where their freedom was tried and tested.
On March 24, 2020, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell History application by Martha Mayo was approved by the National Park Service, Network to Freedom. The Center for Lowell History was officially recognized as an Underground Railroad Research Facility. "Facilities are included in the Network to Freedom for their educational, research, and/or interpretive nature that directly related to the Underground Railroad."
Research Facilities are places where you can learn more about the Underground Railroad through government documents, newspapers, diaries, census records, city directories, genealogy files, and more.
