After reaching America, Africans were auctioned off to the highest bidder and doomed to a life of slavery, stripping them of their dignity, their pride and most of all, their freedom. Whenever possible, individuals attempted to liberate themselves by running away. Many runaways were aided by abolitionists who gave them safe passage on the Underground Railroad.

Cloaked in secrecy, Burkle, a stockyard owner, operated an Underground Railroad way station on the outskirts of Memphis from around 1855 until the abolition of slavery. Burkle’s unsuspecting, modest home, located near the banks of the Mississippi River, provided refuge for runaway slaves during their flight to freedom in the North.