"Underground Chautauqua: Three Freedom Trails" Film and Map
The film Underground Chautauqua: Three Freedom Trails premiered at the Fredonia Opera House on November 10, 2022. Produced as a public service, the film is now available at YouTube by typing its title at the app.
Showcasing the persons identified as anti-slavery operatives in Chautauqua County, NY, the film utilizes the Chautauqua County Anti-slavery Map to provide an aerial tour of three overlapping freedom trail systems which stretched through the area.
Narrators are Nicholas Gunner, developer of the interactive map in 2013; Dr. Saundra Liggins and Dr. Jennifer Hildebrand, developers of Underground Railroad coursework at SUNY Fredonia; and Chautauqua County native Elijah Toro.
The film was written, produced, and directed by Wendy Straight, MA, PLS (retired), a research colleague of SUNY Fredonia Emeritus Dr. Douglas H. Shepard and SUNY Oswego Emerita Judith Wellman. The Chautauqua County Anti-slavery map is available at the website of Chautauqua County Historian Michelle Henry.