‘Steal Away Home’

For many American slaves, Niagara Falls was where their journey to freedom began. The book, ‘Steal Away Home’ by Karolyn Smardz Frost, is a true story about the life of 15 year old Cecelia Reynolds and how she escaped slavery in 1846.

Her owner was Fanny Thruston, a young southern belle living in Kentucky. Thruston, like many white elites, vacationed at the Cataract House in Niagara Falls, New York. The 600 room, luxurious hotel hosted Presidents, Kings and statesmen. She brought her hand maiden Ceceila.

The staff of the hotel were predominately black and they were helping slaves brought to the hotel by their owners to escape.

“The lines between the United States and Canada represented the line between freedom and slavery.” Bill Bradberry, historian.  Canada had already outlawed slavery.

15 year old Ceceila Reynolds escaped by boat from the Falls to Toronto.

Cecelia learned to write in Toronto so that she could write to ask the price of her mothers freedom, her mother was still enslaved by Fanny Thruston. Cecelia and Fanny wrote to each other for 20 years but Fanny never budged on the price of Cecelia’s mother’s freedom, $600. Cecelia was never able to afford her mother’s freedom.

Historian Bill Bradberry has a team digging up the site of what once was the Cataract House, bringing to light clues of the African American past in Niagara Falls. Bradberry says while many slaves saw Niagara Falls, Canada as a safe haven, life wasn’t easy here.

“Ending slavery does not mean that racism ended and even though you may have made it to Canada, it didn’t mean that you had a particularly easy life.”

Smardz Frost and Bradberry hope that stories like Ceceila’s inspire people to learn about the history of slavery and freedom in our region.

Author Karolyn Smardz Frost will be sharing more about Cecelia Reynold’s story at the Hamilton public library, March 1st at 7pm.