I traveled to Elmira to visit Samuel Clemens’ (Mark Twain) grave and his Octagonal Study, where Twain wrote at Quarry Farm, now located on the Elmira College campus.
But, there is another hero honored in Elmira.
Just across the street from the cemetery where Twain is buried is the John W. Jones Museum, located in the original home of Jones, who escaped slavery and settled in Elmira.
The Museum commemorates his life and work as an Underground Railroad Station Master who safely assisted approximately 800 fugitives on their flight to Canada.
Jones became an active agent in the Underground Railroad in 1851. In 1854, the Northern Central railroad tracks from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to Elmira, New York, were completed. Jones arranged with Northern Central employees and hid the fugitives in the 4 o’clock “Freedom Baggage Car” directly to Niagara Falls via Watkins Glen and Canandaigua. Most of Jones’ “baggage” eventually landed in St. Catharines, Ontario.
He usually received the fugitives in parties of six to ten, but sometimes, he found shelter for up to 30 men, women, and children a night. It is believed Jones sheltered many in his home behind First Baptist Church. Of those 800, none were captured or returned to the South.
According to my excellent guide and paneled history at the Museum and the website, he became Woodlawn Cemetery’s sexton in 1859. One of his primary roles was to bury each deceased Confederate soldier from the Elmira Civil War Prison Camp. Of the 2,973 prisoners who Jones buried, only seven are listed as unknown. Jones kept such precise records that on December 7, 1877, the federal government declared the burial site a national cemetery.
To this day, his record keeping is used by family members researching their genealogy.
The house
Historically, the house was the private residence of John W. Jones and his family, which changed ownership several times. It was last used as rental property that fell into disrepair.
I learned, too, that the house was condemned by the City of Elmira in 1997. Lucy Brown, along with a group of concerned citizens, brought it to the public’s attention and saved it from demolition. The building currently stands on Jones’ original farm property, and the site will continue to be visually interpreted as a farm.
The Museum highlights the history of African Americans who settled in New York and the activity of local abolitionists, emphasizing Elmira’s role as the only regular agency and published station on the Underground Railroad between Philadelphia and St. Catharines, Canada, and explore Jones’ community involvement and his relationship with his contemporaries.
Each room contains interesting plaques with history about Jones, his heroic acts to help other enslaved persons, and his compassion for Confederate soldiers’ families by keeping excellent records.
Also on display is a diary from the 1800s and a quilt believed to have been used by a Confederate soldier during the Civil War.
I am always fascinated by history. I appreciate the efforts by so many to save the legacy of Jones.
For more information, click here.
