I Came As a Stranger: The Underground Railroad

Winner of 2005 Children’s Nautilus Book Awards (Non-fiction)

Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north to freedom in Canada with the help of the Underground Railroad. It was neither underground nor was it a railroad, and was most remarkable for its lack of formal organization, so cloaked in secrecy that few facts were recorded while it “ran.”

The story of the Underground Railroad is one of suffering and of bravery, and is not only one of escape from slavery but of beginnings: of people who carved out a new life for themselves in perilous, difficult circumstances. In I Came as a Stranger, Bryan Prince, a descendent of slaves, describes the people who made their way to Canada and the life that awaited them.

From Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Dresden, Ontario to Harriet Tubman’s Canadian base of operations in St. Catharines, the communities founded by former slaves soon produced businessmen, educators, and writers. Yet danger was present in the form of bounty hunters and prejudice.

Complemented by archival photos, I Came as a Stranger is an important addition to North American history.

Honor Book for the Society of School Librarians International’s Best Book Award – Social Studies, Grades 7-12

Winner of 2005 Children’s Nautilus Book Awards (Non-fiction)


Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north to freedom in Canada with the help of the Underground Railroad. It was neither underground nor was it a railroad, and was most remarkable for its lack of formal organization, so cloaked in secrecy that few facts were recorded while it “ran.”

The story of the Underground Railroad is one of suffering and of bravery, and is not only one of escape from slavery but of beginnings: of people who carved out a new life for themselves in perilous, difficult circumstances. In I Came as a Stranger, Bryan Prince, a descendent of slaves, describes the people who made their way to Canada and the life that awaited them.

From Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Dresden, Ontario to Harriet Tubman’s Canadian base of operations in St. Catharines, the communities founded by former slaves soon produced businessmen, educators, and writers. Yet danger was present in the form of bounty hunters and prejudice.

Complemented by archival photos, I Came as a Stranger is an important addition to North American history.

Abby McGanney Nolan - Children's Literature

The map opposite the contents page is a better indicator than the book's title of the Canadian focus of this study. It shows both the seven cities in New York, Ohio and Michigan from which escaped slaves sought to reach the refuge of Canada, as well as the many towns and settlements in Ontario where they set about claiming their newfound freedom. The author makes good use of historical photos and printed material to recreate the hazards facing those who made the journey as well as the strong communities that they formed. The most famous ex-slaves, like Harriet Tubman, are given space alongside hitherto unknown figures who have survived through their words and photographs. The author also notes the impossibility of knowing the full story of the Railroad, in part because it was secrecy that made the passages possible. He is also attuned to exaggerations passed down through history. For instance, he relates a fascinating story concerning Uncle Tom's Cabin with the caveat that it straddles "that hazy line between fact and fiction." Although it is too detailed and oriented to Canada to serve as a general introduction to the Underground Railroad, the book should interest readers around the Great Lakes who want to learn more about their region's crucial role in its operation; a chapter at the end of the book offers a guide to historical sites-turned-museums that can now be visited. 2004, Tundra Books, Ages 12 up.

Bryan Prince is a descendent of slaves who came to Canada prior to the American Civil War. He is a farmer with a profound interest in the history of the Underground Railroad – particularly in the Canadian involvement. He is actively involved with the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, as well as with several other organizations in Ontario and the United States that focus on that period of history. He has spent thousands of hours researching, writing, and lecturing on this topic over a period of nearly 25 years. In 2002, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for contributions to history. He lives with his wife and four children in Buxton, Ontario – a former fugitive slave settlement – and is the sixth generation of his family to do so.