Church Street between Lispenard and Walker Streets, ca. 1975. The building pictured at far left is 36 Lispenard Street. It was once the home of David Ruggles, a zealous abolitionist and the nation's first black journalist and printer. While the building today is just a coffee shop, nearly two hundred years ago, the building was home to the antislavery movement in New York City. From this space, Ruggles led more than 600 runaway slaves to freedom, including Frederick Douglass. He also operated a bookstore and library out of his home, where he would print anti-slavery pamphlets and the Mirror of Liberty, which was the first African American magazine. The original townhouse has since been demolished.

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret safe houses that helped runaway slaves escape captivity during the early to mid-19th century. The route, passing directly through New York City, utilized a number of churches, homes, and businesses. While many of the buildings that housed these “stations” no longer exist, a few important sites of New York City's Underground Railroad are still visible today.