By Anne Levin

When Linda Caldwell Epps lectures about the Underground Railroad in New Jersey, she often encounters a certain level of incredulity.

“The actual institution of the Underground Railroad and how active it was in this state is always surprising to people,” said Ms. Epps, who will deliver a talk on just that subject this Saturday, September 9 at the Trent House in Trenton. “But it wasn’t a happenstance,” she continued. “It was a fairly well coordinated and regulated system.”

Trenton, Princeton, and, especially New Brunswick, were key “stops” along the escape route for slaves attempting to escape from bondage in the southern states. “Treading the Path that with Tears Have Been Watered: The Underground Railroad in New Jersey” is the title of Ms. Epps’ talk, which takes place at 1 p.m.

Secrecy was essential in the desperate flight to freedom, which was organized in independent groups of free blacks, sympathetic allies, and abolitionists. The “travelers,” “conductors,” and “stationmasters” weren’t actually riding the rails — another common misconception Ms. Epps encounters.

“People are also surprised it wasn’t an actual railroad,” she said. “It was just the terminology. Most of it was on foot or by horse. There were conductors along the way, which is a parallel to the railroad. Each conductor knew their little piece of it, but did not necessarily know where you were coming from or where you were going to.”

A frequent speaker on the subject, Ms. Epps is president and CEO of 1804 Consultants, an organization dedicated to the advancement of educational and cultural organizations. She has worked with educational and cultural institutions and currently serves on the boards of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Theater Square Development Company, the History Advocates of NJ executive board, the Newark Archives Project board, and the executive board of the Newark History Society. She earned a doctorate from Drew University.

The story of the Underground Railroad is popular and compelling, Ms. Epps has found. “People like hearing about it, especially if their town has a history of involvement,” she said. “It shows a level of interracial cooperativeness that people like to hear about. A successful runaway was a successful story of cooperation of all ages and races. It’s almost like a celebration of what should be the democratic spirit. There were so many people who were willing to help them.”

One of the most popular routes for those escaping slavery was coming to Ttrenton from Philadelphia, and then following a northeasterly route to New York. “New Brunswick and Trenton were pivotal stops,” Ms. Epps said. “Some routes went through areas of Princeton. Almost all of the routes converged in New Jersey.”

Ms. Epps’ talk will include stories, newspaper articles, and other illustrations, though she has no pictures of actual participants except for those already well known. “I’ll have photos of different stops along the road, and I will talk about New Jersey towns formed by runaway slaves,” she said.

Among them are Timbuktoo in Burlington County, Whitesboro in Cape May County (birthplace of businessman Stedman Graham, partner of Oprah Winfrey), and Lawside in Camden County.

Admission to the talk is $10 ($8 for Trent House members). The historic house museum on the Delaware River is located at 15 Market Street, adjacent to the Hughes Justice Complex. There will be light refreshments served and complimentary tours of the museum, which was the home of William Trent and dates from 1719.

Ms. Epps hopes those in attendance will take away new knowledge of the past and an awareness of how it relates to the future. “I want people to know of the necessity for this kind of cooperation to continue if we’re going to thrive as a country,” she said. “It is essential.”