Fairport Harbor photograph

Fugitive slaves left Fairport Harbor to cross Lake Erie into Canada, where they could escape the bonds of slavery. This photograph was taken by W.S. Smith of Painesville, Ohio, in 1891. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history