Day 128: History Right Next Door

2026-06-14

Hello! I published this article a little too early for folks subscribed via newsletter. You're welcome, I guess?

This would be a perfect article for Juneteenth, but I'm already starting to forget details of this adventure so I better start writing it down now.

I've been to loads of local events, including arts markets and car shows, but because I'm a history nerd, I couldn't resist heading to a local walking tour uncovering the Underground Railroad that ran through a canal and trail.

From southern states, enslaved people traveled from hidden station to hidden station up to northern states or even Ontario, Canada. Those stations, whether they be churches or houses, would shelter enslaved people for the night or until a small boat or canoe came up to carry them north in secret.

Those boats would have passed through this Delaware Canal. I've walked this trail many times, but I had always assumed its history to just be about cargo and shipping, not playing a role in freedom seeking. The group even found a few nooks and crannies where people hid during the day, that I had not noticed before.

Beyond the Underground Railroad and this local town's role in it, I also went to see the nearby Black neighborhood and its church. For this event, they had loads of food; all sorts of people from the town came in to enjoy the weather and walk around like I did.

I wasn't the official photographer for this event! I ran late and didn't know what to expect other than that I signed up for a history walk via email. That role was handed over to someone else, thank goodness. The fact I could get a decent photograph out of this walk was down to pure luck.

Oh, and last thing: the song He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, which, if I recall correctly, I sang just barely often enough in elementary school to become a vague memory in my head, was played on loop during this walk. It's great.

Finally, some amazing photographs taken by Black women. Flickr, the media hosting site, provided financial grants (and exposure) to several Black women photographers this year, and they've listed the best in a blog article. I especially love the double exposure techniques, and it's something I want to try too.

Cheers,
David