Maine's Only Official Memorial to the Underground Railroad

North to Freedom. R Stemple (Atlas Obscura User)

On a small hillside in Chamberlain Freedom Park you’ll find a bronze sculpture depicting a man climbing out of a tunnel. The monument, called North to Freedom, is a memorial to the Underground Railroad, the only official such memorial in Maine.

The tunnel itself had previously been hidden under the historic Holyoke House (which was torn down in 1995), and both the house and tunnel were allegedly part of the secret route used by enslaved people to escape from the American South into Canada in the 19th century.

The statue is a tribute to the enslaved people that used the Underground Railroad as well as those who helped and hid them along the way. Though Maine was a free state, it was still illegal for anyone who lived there to aid a person escaping slavery.

North to Freedom was added to Chamberlain Freedom Park in 2002. The park is named for Civil War hero Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain, who was born in Brewer, Maine. A statue of the general stands atop this small hill in his hometown, surrounded by commemorative plaques and a monument to the 20th Maine Infantry.

Know Before You Go

Visitors can park at the gas station adjacent to the park. The Chamberlain statue and plaques can be easily viewed from the top of the hill. To see “North to Freedom” walk down the rock path toward the intersection below. To get to the statue it is at street level right by a traffic light.