The Freedom Crossing Monument on North Water Street in Lewiston, New York, is a tribute to the struggle for freedom across the Niagara River into Canada for the enslaved seeking freedom. Sculpted by Susan Geissler, is a scene from the novel, Freedom Crossing, by author Margaret Goff Clark. The heroine of the story is Laura Eastman who helps Underground Railroad Conductor Josiah Tryon, a Lewiston tailor, to assist an enslaved family to freedom in Canada. Laura Eastman is a fictional character, but Josiah Tryon was a real “Station Master.” He helped countless enslaved people find their freedom in Canada. (Aug. 5, 2018)

The Freedom Crossing Monument on North Water Street in Lewiston, New York, is a tribute to the struggle for freedom across the Niagara River into Canada for the enslaved seeking freedom. (Aug. 5, 2018)

A view of the Niagara River in Lewiston, New York, just steps away from the Freedom Crossing Monument and a free life for the enslaved. (Aug. 5, 2018)

The exterior dome colonnade painting of Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica in Lackawanna, New York. (Aug. 5, 2018)

The copper-domed twin front towers and the Carrera marble domed niche of the Our Lady of Victory statue of the Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica in Lackawanna, New York. (Aug. 5, 2018)

The interior and main altar of the Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica in Lackawanna, New York…just outside of Buffalo. (Aug. 5, 2018)

The ceiling dome of the main altar of Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica in Lackawanna, New York. (Aug. 5, 2018)