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Rhode Island’s Underground Railroad: A Crucial, Covert Network Aiding Thousands of Enslaved People
“Rhode Island’s extensive coastline made it a prime destination for ‘maritime escapes.’ Enslaved people would stow away on ships from southern ports such as Norfolk, Virginia. Upon arrival in Newport or Providence, Black dockworkers and sailors met the stowaways and helped navigate them to safe houses. The Rhode Island network wasn’t a single line; it was a series of hand-offs that relied heavily on the state’s geography.”
The article was compiled by Owen Hwang, and edited and with an Introduction by Robb Dimmick
An excerpt:
Pawtucket
The Pidge Tavern (also known as Pidge Farm), located at the Providence/ Pawtucket border, is one of Rhode Island’s most significant—and oldest—documented sites linked to the URR. While many sites rely on oral tradition, Pidge Tavern is frequently cited by historians as a verified “station” due to its strategic location and the documented activism of the families associated with it.
1. The Strategic Location
The tavern stood at 586 Pawtucket Avenue at the crossroads of major travel routes.
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The “Toll” Connection: In the 1800s, this area was a “toll gate” between Providence and Boston. This made it a high-traffic area where travelers at night wouldn’t arouse suspicion, providing perfect “cover” for moving escapees.
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The Pidge/Ridge Mystery: Local legend notes that Pidge Avenue in Pawtucket became Ridge Street in Providence. This single road served as a direct artery for conductors moving people from the Providence sites (like Bethel AME) north toward the Quaker strongholds in the Blackstone Valley.
2. The Tavern as a Station
The building dates to the mid-1600s, but its role in the URR peaked in the early-to-mid 1800s.
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The Hiding Places: Like many taverns of that era, the Pidge Tavern had a complex layout with a massive central chimney. Accounts suggest that freedom seekers hid in the cellar or in small, partitioned spaces near the attic/chimney to keep out of sight from patrons or bounty hunters.
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The “Farm” Utility: Because the property operated as both tavern and farm, freedom seekers could be put to “work” in the fields during the day as a way to hide in plain sight before moving north at night.
3. Connection to the Black Community
While the tavern was owned by the Pidge family (who were white abolitionists), its success depended on coordination with the Black community in Providence.
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The Relay: Conductors from the Blackstone Canal and Bethel AME Church would often signal to the tavern when “cargo” (code word for freedom seekers) was arriving.
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The Next Stop: From the Pidge Tavern, freedom seekers were typically moved north to the Saylesville Meetinghouse in Lincoln or to Elizabeth Buffum Chace’s home in Valley Falls.
Read more HERE: https://www.stagesoffreedom.org/ri-urr
This study can be seen a welcome corrective to some modern narratives of unmitigated racial oppression. What noble people these abolitionists and helpers were. In Rhode Island!