Flight To Freedom Tour
Underground Railroad Living Museum
33 E. Forest Ave.
Detroit
At the corner of Woodward and E. Forest avenues in Midtown Detroit sits a stunning Romanesque/Byzantine structure made from red sandstone. The First Congregational Church of Detroit is one of the many spectacular churches that dot Detroit’s major throughfare, but its quiet basement museum has a less glamorous – and arguably more important – story to tell.
This is where you’ll find the Underground Railroad Living Museum – a humble living history museum that aims to give visitors a first-hand taste of what it was like to escape from slavery.
The approximately 90-minute tour I took Friday was an intimate experience designed for groups of less than a dozen. It opened with an introductory conversation, in which a guide set the scene of what life was like for American slaves. He clarified misconceptions about the Underground Railroad – that it was neither underground nor a railroad – but a dangerous secret network of routes and safe houses that guided slaves to freedom in the North. He invited visitors to imagine themselves as slaves – many illiterate and/or with children – and having to make the difficult decision to escape when the odds of success were against them.
“Freedom isn’t free,” our guide told us.
The tour continued with a short video that further set the scene, before we met our conductor, “Bo.”
Clad in overalls with a torn, floppy hat, Bo explained the rules of our journey to freedom: mainly, follow his instructions without question and don’t turn back. As he clutched his prop rifle, he explained the consequences for those who did not follow the second rule.
He guided us through a small exhibit that showed the horrid conditions under which Africans were brought to the United States and sold at auction.
He led us to the top of the basement stairs. Now we were ready to begin our journey.
The basement was dark with a labyrinth-like design that led visitors to “Canada.” (Our guide had explained that even free states in the American North were legally required to return escaped slaves.) As our group followed the light of the North Star, we traveled through forests and homes and read the subtle signs left through lanterns, books and boots. We met a cast of (mostly) supportive characters and avoided a near run-in with a bounty hunter, driving home the severe risks of escape.
Once out of the basement and brought back to the safety of our modern world, we concluded with a debrief of the experience.
As an adult, I found the tour more informative and engaging than terrifying, despite the horrific nature of the subject matter. However, children – a frequent audience – may be more likely to be scared, though it was still – intentionally – fairly tame.
But mainly, it was eye-opening, forcing visitors to face a dark moment of American history, which many have the privilege to forget. It invited us to experience the Underground Railroad from a first-person perspective, even if it was just a taste.
While American slavery has ended, that small taste is important. The museum experience made parallels to the modern world, in which wars, corruption and poverty continue to drive desperate people on treacherous journeys to escape. It invited compassion, now needed more than ever as the American present is setting up to repeat its past.
Tours are available at 11 a.m. Tuesday – Saturday but must be booked in advance by calling 313-831-4080. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for youth and seniors; group discounts are available. For details visit http://friendsoffirst.com/underground-railroad-tours.
