Thomas Garrett

1789 – 1871

A Wilmington, Delaware Quaker merchant, Thomas Garrett turned his home and business into the most active Underground Railroad station in the state, credited with helping more than 2,700 enslaved people reach freedom over roughly four decades. He worked closely with Harriet Tubman, supplying her with money, shoes, and shelter, and with Philadelphia stationmaster William Still, continuing his work even after an 1848 federal trial financially ruined him for helping an enslaved family escape.