Tom Calarco

What gives this away as well researched amateur history is the attempt by the author to fill the gaps in his interpretive and analytical skills with the sheer volume of information. The only real problem with that is the reader is left to determine for himself or herself the significance of all this information. Without any guidance from the author, besides his deep interest in the subject, we readers are left to wonder what he thinks the point of all of this is.

Because of the interpretive weakness, it would be inaccurate to say Calarco's book is an interesting read. It is pretty dry stuff.

But if you are looking for a place to start an investigation of the Underground Railroad, then you have found it.… (mer)

Calarco outlines the role New York's Adirondack Region played in the Underground Railroad in this book. While he remarks that there is much left to be discovered in parts of this region, he provides an exhaustive account of the information he has gathered in relation to anti-slavery figures and conductors on the Underground Railroad. Maps of the different counties with highlighted towns/houses of probable stops are throughout the book; as someone who is not completely familiar with this region, they were really helpful for me to visualize the distances between towns and other points of interest.

This is definitely a region that is not much discussed in Underground Railroad histories, and it was wonderful to add another piece to what I have read on the subject. Calarco does really well in outlining locations - either probable or possible, depending upon the amount of documented or circumstantial evidence available to each location. A good read for anyone interested in the Underground Railroad or the antebellum period!… (mer)