Mission

Bound for Glory celebrates the stories of freedom seekers as they traveled northward by road, by rail, and by water. We invite you to study the evolving technologies and transforming ecologies of the Great Lakes through the eyes of these individuals. Their words will illuminate the forgotten dangers of travel, and their journeys will reshape what it means to call this region home. By examining infrastructural novelties such as the telegraph and geographical obstacles such as the Great Black Swamp, Bound for Glory reveals the ingenuity of the formerly enslaved as they navigated countless perils during their pursuit of freedom.

Bound for Glory examines understudied ecological and infrastructural contexts of the Underground Railroad, such as island-hopping along the Detroit River and navigating the telegraph network. Visualizing these journeys, Bound for Glory offers a deeper understanding of freedom seekers’ spatial knowledge and resilience. By illuminating narratives in which individuals island-hopped the Detroit River or navigated the telegraph surveillance network, we encourage students and scholars to understand this history as intricately embedded in the spaces where we live today.