The Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo
The Colored Musicians Club at 145 Broadway in Buffalo, NY U.S.A. The building itself is said to have been built before the turn of the century.
The Colored Musicians Club was recently honored with a historic marker. To get a peek inside the Club, take a look at Them Jazzbeards CMC page at www.themjazzbeards.com.
The historic Michigan Street Baptist Church can be seen to the east rear side of the Club. This site is proposed to become part of a designated historic district. Michigan Street in this area has been officially designated "Harriet Tubman Way."
As can be seen by this historic marker, the Michigan Street Baptist Church was a significant site of the Underground Railroad.
"The Michigan Street Baptist Church was one of Buffalo's first African-American churches. It was erected c.1843 and was the center of abolitionist activitism in the area, supposedly serving as a "station" on the Underground Railroad. All of the important figures in African-American abolitionism lectured there, including William Wells Brown and Frederick Douglass. I don't know if Harriet Tubman ever made a documented visit, but it certainly is possible.
Buffalo, being situated on the Niagara River, was a funneling point for fugitive slaves, who had traveled across all parts of NY, to cross over into Canada. From Michigan Street, it was a short ride to Ferry Street, which, as its name implies, delivered you to Buffalo's main launch point for boats crossing the Niagara." ( Cynthia Van Ness )
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Updated 8-9-98, 8-19-98,10-17-98.