The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum is part of a newly designated New York State Scenic Byway honoring Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad network that ran through the state.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation last week designating Phase 1 of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a 173-mile heritage corridor from Auburn to Niagara Falls. The route crosses eight counties and includes more than 22 heritage sites, including the Farmington museum.
The byway honors Tubman, who made her home in Auburn for 54 years after escaping slavery and leading more than 70 freedom seekers to liberty. Tubman is buried in Auburn.
Judith Wellman, executive director of the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum, said the designation will mean a great deal to the museum, which she called "a national site of conscience and center for equal rights."
Wellman said visitors to the meetinghouse will hear stories of Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, the Edmondson sisters and other freedom seekers who lived or spoke in Farmington and the greater Rochester-Finger Lakes area.
The museum said the corridor is expected to have a major cultural and economic impact on the region. The meetinghouse is undergoing renovations and will include new exhibits meant to serve as a community gathering place and a destination for students, local residents and heritage tourists.
"Our region was home to many people who became national leaders for equal rights," Wellman said. "The stories of freedom seekers who settled here continue to inspire us all. We want to share these stories with the world."
Phase 1 covers about one-third of the planned route. A proposed second phase for the 2027 legislative session would extend the byway east from Auburn through 14 additional counties to Manhattan and the New Jersey border, creating a 550-mile border-to-border corridor.
The long-term plan would connect the New York byway to a multi-state route from Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman's birthplace, to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, where Tubman guided freedom seekers to safety.
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