North Star Underground Railroad Museum, Ausable Chasm

About North Star Underground Railroad Museum

North Star Underground Railroad Museum reveals the hidden history of the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad through exhibits and multimedia displays. Visitors explore poignant stories of fugitives from slavery who traveled through Northeastern New York toward Canada. A multimedia production tells the story of John Thomas, who settled on an Adirondack mountain farm. Informative displays depict the debate over slavery and its effect on regional churches, with a leg iron found in a Quaker home as a centerpiece. Regional exhibits identify safe-houses and illuminate the lives of antislavery activists from petitions to war. Displays explain how the Champlain Line encompassed the Upper Hudson River, Champlain Canal, and Lake Champlain, where runaway slaves boarded steamboats, barges, and canal boats northward, or traveled by stagecoach and railroad. The museum gift shop offers books and items about the Underground Railroad. General admission is free. The museum is located in Ausable Chasm.