The Freedom Trail

— The Underground Railroad —

"A strictly honest man..."
Born about 1807 in Oneida County, Prince Jackson was one of the earliest African American settlers in Syracuse and the earliest to have a documented deed for property. He came to Syracuse about 1827, married Cordelia Joy in 1828, and purchased land on Lock Street on the east bank of the Oswego Canal in 1829. Prince Jackson served for many years as trustee of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and was one of four African Americans indicted for participating in the rescue of William "Jerry" Henry in 1851. "A strictly honest man," he worked throughout his life as a farrier and messenger for Jason C. Woodruff, bank manager, owner of a stage coach line, and, in 1852, mayor of Syracuse. Local tradition suggests that Woodruff supplied horses for the rescue of William Henry. Prince Jackson died in 1867 and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

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Rose Hill Cemetery / African Americans on the North Side
Onondaga Indians
The Banks of the Erie Canal
The Jerry Rescue
Erie Canal
How Much Does a Canal Boat Weigh?
Erie Boulevard Was Once the Erie Canal
Pitts Park
Hanover Square
Alexis de Tocqueville

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