THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD & TOMLINSON LAKE CONNECTION

Posted On September 25, 2013

By Joe Gee

Victoria County in New Brunswick was part of the route for the Underground Railroad that helped African Americans escape from slavery in the United States.
Just to add to the story, those escaping slavery were hidden in a wagon loaded with straw and transported up the Sam Everett Road located just past the Carlingford and Fort Fairfield customs.
 
The freedom seekers destined for Canada were dropped off near or around Tomlinson Lake Brook, I suspect, although I think our neighbours across the border have a different name for this brook, Petty Brook.
Those on foot would then head east along an old logging road that ran parallel with the brook through Carlingford and all the way to Tomlinson Lake. Once they reached Tomlinson Lake they most likely knew they had approximately 2 miles left before they reached the Saint John River where a boat would be waiting for them.
 

Some headed for Fredericton, and some made the farther journey to Saint John but most went on to Nova Scotia. There aren’t many Underground Railroad trails into New Brunswick but this one does happen to pass right through Carlingford.
 

The old logging road today is grown up, however, one can still make out where the road was.
 
Back in 2006 I took my friend Ben, who is of African descent , to pick fiddleheads along the brook and I told him the story.
 
We both concluded that it had likely been almost 200 years since a person of his ethnic background had walked this same path.