Freedom Crossing Monument

[1] The original monument design also included a likeness of Harriet Tubman, a well-known African-American abolitionist from Maryland who guided fugitive slaves to Canada.

When the design was announced, a firestorm of controversy erupted with criticism from Niagara Falls, New York, Lewiston's neighboring community to the south.

Niagara Falls City Administrator Bill Bradberry, a member of the board, called Lewiston's plans "disingenuous, dishonest, historically inaccurate and just wrong.

"[3] On June 11, 2007, the Niagara Falls City Council passed a resolution stating, "the truth is the only thing that sells and that tourists crave authenticity, not fiction.

"[4] The issue received widespread newspaper and television coverage and the controversy became so fever pitched that Cottrell was quoted as saying, "We're glad they (the City Council and Tourism Advisory Board) are endorsing what we're doing.

The Underground Railroad was a secret network of trails and safe houses that enslaved African-Americans from the southern United States used to escape to Canada in the mid-19th century.

Lewiston was one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad and, despite breaking the law, many local residents volunteered to help the escapees reach freedom in Canada.

Handing the baby to the fugitive mother is Josiah Tryon (1798–1886), Lewiston's volunteer "station master" for the Underground Railroad.

By secretly escorting escaping slaves to freedom in his rowboat under the cover of darkness, he gave them hope and became a champion of justice and equality.

With her outstretched arm pointing to Canada, Laura Eastman is the iconic heroine in the historical fiction book Freedom Crossing, which is read by thousands of elementary students throughout the United States every year.

(copyright 1980 by Margaret Goff Clark, by permission of Scholastic, Inc.) A Niagara River Greenway Project Sculpture by Susan Geissler Town of Lewiston Council Fred M. Newlin II, Supervisor Ernest C. Palmer Michael A. Johnson Alfonso M. Bax Sean A. Edwards Village of Lewiston Board of Trustees Richard F. Soluri, Mayor Michael J. Marra Terry C. Collesano William E. Geiben Ronald R. Winkley With private funding from The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and The KeyBank Foundation In cooperation with the Niagara River Greenway Commission and New York State Power Authority Sponsored by the Historical Association of Lewiston, Inc. Lee Simonson Diane Finkbeiner Pamela Hauth