In July of 2012, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation approved the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area Management Plan, and thereby officially established the Underground Railroad Heritage Area in the City of Niagara Falls. The Management plan includes detailed recommendations for preserving and interpreting historic resources within the Heritage Area, as well as developing economic opportunities and promoting heritage tourism in Niagara Falls and the surrounding region. The Management Plan was prepared by the consultant team of edr Companies, New York Historical Research Associates, Crawford & Stearns Architects and Preservation Planners, and the Herzig Group.

The work of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area was pivotal to creating the Heritage Center and the Heritage Area Commission, who continues to oversee the work of the staff at the Heritage Area. The Commission will accomplish its work and mission by working with national, regional, state and local agencies, institutions, and organizations and with local Niagara Falls residents, as described in the Heritage Area Management Plan below.

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area includes the entirety of the municipal limits of the City of Niagara Falls. The City includes outstanding natural and scenic resources associated with the Niagara River, the Niagara Gorge, and the falls; is internationally recognized for tourism and recreational opportunities; and possesses an unparalleled density of historic resources, narratives, sites, experiences, and research opportunities related to the Underground Railroad. The boundary of the Heritage Area unites this rich assemblage of cultural, natural, and economic resources for the purpose of protecting and promoting the important historic sites and scenic integrity that distinguish the City of Niagara Falls.

The Heritage Center opened for visitors in May, 2018, after many years of visioning and planning by a dedicated group of staff, community leaders, and political supporters, in the 1863 U.S. Customs House that is currently attached to the Niagara Falls Amtrak Station. While not a site on the Underground Railroad, the Customs House sits adjacent to the location of the former International Suspension Bridge, a point of crossing for many freedom seekers including Harriet Tubman. The bridge abutments are visible from the Heritage Center.

The Heritage Center preserves the historic role of the people of Niagara Falls in facilitating freedom for the oppressed. The places and stories associated with this network of freedom seekers, free African Americans, and abolitionists evoke powerful themes in American history and celebrate the bravery of the men and women who risked their own lives to achieve the most basic rights of liberty.

The Heritage Center is a project of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Commission, in cooperation with the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, a program of the National Park Service.

Click Here to read NYSOPRHP’s approval of the Management Plan

Download Full Report (Chapters I-VI) (50MB – PDF format)

National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. Through their resources, NHAs tell nationally important stories that celebrate our nation’s diverse heritage. NHAs are lived-in landscapes. Consequently, NHA entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.

NHAs are a grassroots, community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects. Leveraging funds and long-term support for projects, NHA partnerships foster pride of place and an enduring stewardship ethic.

Congress created the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area in 2008 and seventeen commissioners approved a Management Plan in 2012. Collaboration with key partners like New York State Parks, the New York Power Authority, the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation, the USA Niagara economic development agency, Niagara University and municipalities within the National Heritage Area has led to rapid and significant accomplishments. Whether funding local historical societies to improve their interpretive programs or bringing school children to Old Fort Niagara, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area is committed to increasing heritage tourism in our area and to improving the quality of life with the NHA.

A non-profit board now operates the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area and implements their Management Plan and Interpretive Plan in the years to come. As the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Commission and its resources overlap with the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, the two organizations work closely together in a collaborative capacity.

The proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway will be a continuous route between New York City, NY and Niagara Falls, NY, ending at one of the locations where many freedom seekers, including Harriet Tubman, crossed an international border to achieve self-liberation in Canada.

As a vehicle for education, preservation, and economic growth, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Byway fosters community pride, enhances residents’ quality of life, preserves its historic and natural assets, inspires visitors to be agents of change, and elevates the authentic stories of Freedom Seekers on their journey to freedom by providing exceptional and inclusive experiences along its 550-mile route.

The Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway was sponsored by the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State (URCNYS), and its partners, to establish a New York State Scenic Byway that connects sites related to Underground Railroad history.

As participants in the Internal Planning Committee, the Steering Committee, and the Descendant’s Council for the establishment of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center are proud volunteers in bringing this project to fruition. 

PHASE 1  spans 173.17 miles with 22 documented resources demonstrating the significance of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in New York from Niagara Falls, NY to Auburn, NY.

PHASE 2 spans 376+ miles from New York City North along the Hudson River to Albany and West through the Mohawk Valley and parallel with parts of the Erie Canal until Syracuse, NY before connecting with PHASE 1 in Auburn, NY. 

The ultimate vision is to join several byways that follow the geography of Harriet Tubman’s life from her birthplace and where she escaped enslavement in Dorchester County, MD, to the sites of Tubman’s self-liberation in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada.

Segments in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland would connect to the New York byway forming a connected route that would be eligible for national designation as an All American Road.

We invite everyone to join the efforts to designate the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad proposed byway and  be a steward of equality in New York State and honor the legacy of the courageous movement of Harriet Tubman and freedom seekers. Visit the official site to learn more information today.