Underground Railroad Escape Game

The Underground Railroad

Start

You are a slave living on a plantation in Kentucky amoung hundreds of other slaves. Its not perfect by any means, but comapred to other plantations youve heard about, you get treated very well. Its the middle of June and you are out in the fields working when suddenly you spot your owner, Mr.Harrsion, conversing with a man you have never seen before. Although youre not supposed to be paying attention to you owners conversations, you couldnt help but overhear their conversation. While listening, you hear Mr.Harrsion mention your name to the man. "Im sure you'll love him, John, hes a very capeable servant". Suddenly you realize whats happening. Your'e being sold. The only 2 choices you have now are to stay and let yourself be sold, or to run away.

continue

John Smith

Jack Harrison

Jack Harrison, your current owner. He's a nice man compared to the other slave owners you've heard about. He feeds you well and does his best to make sure that you have a decent place to rest.

John Smith, a much worse, more violent and ruthless slave owner with a reputation for beating his slaves for even the slightest transgression. He also happens to be the man that Mr. Harrison is selling you to.

After some thought, you decide that its time to abandon your life as a slave and escape to freedom.

Escape

Slave catchers. People you're going to have to be aware of on your journey. The minute you flee your owner is going to notice and he will likely hire someone to come find you. Slave catchers get paid by the hour or by the mile, which means that they are willing to travel outside of Kentucky into other states if they want in order to find you. They also sometimes travel with dogs in order to catch your scent making it easier to find you.

You had heard from a fellow slave about a woman named Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who had helped hundreds of others escape slavery through the underground railroad. Originally she was named Araminta Ross, but she married a man named John Tubman, when she took his last name she also took the name Harriet. Harriet Tubman did not create the underground railroad but she made it famous by helping so many slaves escape using it.Luckily for you, she's coming to your plantation to help one of her family members escape, and your going to try and escape with them. According to your friend, she's arriving sometime this week.

This is a map of the Underground railroad routes, and stations / safehouses. Each station has a conductor or stationmaster who would help the fugitive slaves along their trip through the underground railroad. The station closest to you is about 10 miles away, which doesn't seem far, but when you have a limited time and you have to do it on foot its going to be quite difficult.

You wait patiently for Mrs.Tubman to arrive, and on your 3rd night of waiting you notice a lamplight in the distance, its Harriet Tubman! However, she needs you to get a few things before you leave. In order to survive on your journey along the underground railroad you needed to have a knife, food, and money.

Return

In the back of the Barn you find a stack of cash. Your owner was probably hoping to spend it later. Not anymore i guess. Now you can use it to purchase clothing, food, and shelter if you need it. (Once you get your freed papers however)

Upstairs you were able to find an abundance of food, you took the crackers because those would last the longest which was important seeing as you would be travelling for almost 6 months.

In the drawer you find a knife, its old and a little rusty but it will work. It'll help you survive while you travel, because without free papers, it will be hard to purchase food.

Map

You inform Mrs.Tubman that you found the items and that your ready to go. She pulls out a map to help you navigate and trails of the Underground railroad and your journey officially begins.

This is where you are right now

The next underground railroad station

The final stop along the underground railroad, on the border of Ohio and Canada.

This is a map of the underground railroad and its stations. The red dots are the stations you'll visit along your journey, if it is a dark red it means you have been to, or are currently at that station. Click on the next pink dot to get to the next station.

This is where you are right now

The final stop along the underground railroad, on the border of Ohio and Canada.

This is where you are right now

The Schoolhouse you're at right now.

You finally get to the next station, its an old schoolhouse near the Border of Ohio. You follow Mrs.Tubman inside

go inside

You found the address!You and Mrs.Tubman can finally start the last leg of your long journey.

Map

Once inside, Mrs.Tubman tells you that she needs help finding the address for the next station. Without it, she wont be able to take you there. She tells you it might be in the cabin out back, but its very dark in there so you need to find a lamp first.

find a lamp

Just a bookshelf

A group photo, likely of some of the students that attend the school.

You found the lamp!Now you can go look for the address for the next station, Mrs.Tubman hinted that its probably in the cabin outside.

to the cabin

Just a bookshelf

A group photo, likely of some of the students that attend the school.

1068 Ohio Dr.

Hint: Drag your lamplight around until you can find the address. Click on the address once you've found it.

You arrive at the town after nearly 4 days of walking, but which building is the safehouse?

Safehouses often had a lantern or a quilt outside, try again.

Not over here, keep looking.

Great!

Stations were often Churches, schoolhouses, or other such buildings with a lit lantern or hung quilt on the outside.

Harriet Tubman leads you down a flight of stairs into a cluttered basement where you could hide and regain some strength over the next few days, but before you leave, you would need free papers, which were prepared for you once Mrs.Tubman knew you were going to be trying to escape. The papers were located somewhere in the basement to keep them from being stolen, good luck!

Dismiss

An old painting, looks like it could be 50 years old at least.

Map

An old painting, looks like it could be 50 years old at least.

Return

(4) - "Gateway to Freedom", Eric Foner. Looks like a good book.

(7) - Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass. Another good book it seems.

(5) - Information about the Fugitive slave laws. You decide to read it. The Fugitive slave laws of 1850 made it so that even if you were in a free state, like Ohio, slave catchers were still able to follow and try to catch you in order to return you for a reward. It also made the government partially responsible for returning escaped slaves, making your journey much more difficult.

(9) - A scrapbook, old photos of African Americans, perhaps escaped slaves that Mrs. Tubman helped.

Hint: this bookshelf has 4 clickable books

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Hint: Read some of the books

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open

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Hint: Read some of the books

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You got the papers! Now you should be free of suspicion if you come across anyone looking to catch escaped slaves, and it should be much easier to walk around in the day as well as purchase goods from stores. (Freed papers were papers that freed African Americans carried around just in case a white man tried to accuse them of being an escaped slave. The papers were usually written by a slaves previous owner, but in some cases, if a slave learned how to read and write, they could be forged, just like these ones, which were prepared by the conductor at the station.)

Your last stop brings you to a Cabin along a dirt road. From here, the Canadian border isn't too far. Harriet Tubman assured you that the Underground railroad had a method of getting you across to Canada without needing a passport or any special papers.

go inside

When you get inside you and Mrs.Tubman both hear somthing outside, you take a peek. Its slave catchers! You need to hide so they wont find you. But where?

hide

Great job!

All of the old food along with the ashes from the fireplace were able to throw off the dog and you were able to safely hide in the wardrobe. After the catchers left you and Mrs.Tubman took some time to rest and then you finally crossed the border to Canada.

CAUGHT

Reward for return $100Return to Johnson plantation in KentuckyWanted alive.

FOUND

The catchers were able to see your feet from through the window and came to take you back to Kentucky.

Try again

CAUGHT

Reward for return $100Return to Johnson plantation in KentuckyWanted alive.

FOUND

The dog that the catchers had was able to smell you through the cabinet doors and you were taken back to Kentucky.

Try again

Congratulations!

You finally made it across the border. Mrs.Tubman didnt go with you and instead stayed behind in order to help more slaves in need. Mrs.Tubman does however, take you to one final station whose caretaker helps you adjust to your new life as a free man as well as get you a canadian citizenship and training in order to get a job. But for now, youre just happy to be free.

to start

citations

Citations

Fowler, James (2020, November 22). Runaway Slave : A History of Escape In 10 Objects. The Humanity Archive. https://www.thehumanityarchive.com/history/runaway-slave.

History.com Editors. (2009, October 29). Underground Railroad. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad.

Douglass, Frederick. (1845). A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Anti Slavery Office.