Thank you to the contributing authors to the Sailing to Freedom volume, our keynote speaker, Fergus M. Bordewich, and other historians for a conference that examines the historical record and recent research about the maritime Underground Railroad.

The assembled scholars and historians shared their various views and expertise about the experiences of freedom seekers and those who assisted their escape from enslavement through the maritime Underground Railroad. The conference was presented in partnership with the New Bedford Historical Society, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

Presentations and lectures were held on September 23, with September 24 reserved for visiting Underground Railroad sites in New Bedford. The conference was free and open to the public.