KY SR101

Recognizes February 21, 2026, as Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Day in Kentucky

Historic St. Paul A.M.E. Church, located at 251 North Upper Street in Lexington and built in 1826, has been officially designated by the National Park Service as a site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

The church served as an active Underground Railroad station with a concealed upper room and stairwell behind the pulpit where freedom seekers found refuge, and purchased an adjacent city stray pen to mask human scent from tracking dogs

Lewis Garrard Clarke, an internationally recognized abolitionist who escaped enslavement in Madison County and inspired the character George Harris in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," was aided through the church's network and his 1897 funeral was held there

A Community Commemoration Service featuring Dr. Carver Clark Gayton, great-grandson of Lewis Garrard Clarke, will be held on February 21, 2026, to celebrate the national designation