The Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission has been actively studying the Underground Railroad in Oneida County, New York since its first meeting of February 10, 2001.
It was organized in part as a response to an initiative from the Federal National Park Service to identify and preserve sites and develop information concerning the Underground Railroad nationwide. In 1997 Governor Pataki signed the New York State Freedom Trail Program Act to promote this initiative. Every county in the state is encouraged to organize a commission to study its local Underground Railroad.
The Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission was authorized by an act of the Oneida County Legislature in 2001 The Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission consists of people who have shown an interest in the region's Underground Railroad. Our members come from all parts of the county. We meet regularly at the Oneida County Historical Society.