Richard Moore House Due to the distance between stops – up to 10 miles – Richard Moore’s stone house became one of the most important stations on the Underground Railroad for slaves traveling through Bucks County.
What was Bucks County known for on the railroad?
- This secret network of hidden, safe places relied on abolitionists and kind communities to aid runaways on their journey northward. Bucks County was home to many important stops on the railroad from taverns and churches to privately owned farms, many of which can still be visited today.
Who was important in the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family, who made many daring rescues, Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves, and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom.
What was the name of one of the most important safe houses along the Underground Railroad?
The safe houses used as hiding places along the lines of the Underground Railroad were called stations.
What is the Underground Railroad home?
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada.
Where did the Underground Railroad stop?
Where did the Underground Railroad go? The Underground Railroad went north to freedom. Sometimes passengers stopped when they reached a free state such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Ohio. After 1850, most escaping enslaved people traveled all the way to Canada.
Who ended slavery?
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring “all persons held as slaves… shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free,” effective January 1, 1863. It was not until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, in 1865, that slavery was formally abolished ( here ).
Who founded the Underground Railroad to help fugitive slaves escape from the South quizlet?
About how many slaves did Harriet Tubman rescue? She rescued over 300 slaves using the network established by the Underground Railroad between 1850 and 1860. Who was William Still? He was a well-known abolitionist who was often called “the father of the Underground Railroad.” He helped hundred of slaves to escape.
Where is William Still House?
This led him and his wife Letitia to move to a relatively new rowhouse on the east side of Ronaldson Street between South and Bainbridge Streets, which still stands today at 625 S. Delhi Street. The Stills occupied this house, which was an Underground Railroad Way Station, from 1850 through 1855.
Where did the Underground Railroad have safe houses?
In the years leading up to the Civil War, the black abolitionist William Still offered shelter to hundreds of freedom seekers as they journeyed northward.
How does Underground Railroad end?
In the end, Royal is killed and a grief-stricken Cora is caught again by Ridgeway. Ridgeway forces Cora to take him to an Underground Railroad station, but as they climb down the entrance’s rope ladder she pulls Ridgeway off and they fall to the ground.
Where is the Underground Railroad?
The site is located on 26 acres of land in Auburn, New York, and is owned and operated by the AME Zion Church. It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors.
Why was the Underground Railroad important?
The underground railroad, where it existed, offered local service to runaway slaves, assisting them from one point to another. The primary importance of the underground railroad was that it gave ample evidence of African American capabilities and gave expression to African American philosophy.
Where did the Underground Railroad end in Canada?
Chatham, Ontario. The Buxton National Historic Site & Museum commemorates the Elgin Settlement: one of the final stops for the Underground Railroad.
Where was the Underground Railroad located in Maryland?
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (HATU) memorializes this legacy not through physical structures, but by instead through the landscape in Tubman’s native Dorchester County, Maryland which has been preserved by private and public stewards.
Where were stations in Indiana that were part of the Underground Railroad?
Indiana’s Underground Railroad All three paths eventually led to Michigan, then to Canada. (Canada abolished slavery in 1833.) The routes in Indiana went from Posey to South Bend; from Corydon to Porter; and from Madison to DeKalb County, with many stops in between.
15 stops on the Underground Railroad you can travel to in Bucks County
Many escaped slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries saw the Underground Railroad as a symbol of their ability to start over in their new lives. Runaways depended on abolitionists and generous towns to assist them on their trek northward through this covert network of hidden, secure sites. Many key stations along the railroad, from bars and churches to privately held farms, were located in Bucks County, and many of these may still be found today. The emergence of the heritage and ancestral travel trends has resulted in an increase in the number of individuals seeking for locations that previously characterized the life of their ancestors.
Some of the locations in the list are as follows: In addition to the Continental Tavern (which was originally known as the Continental Hotel in the 1800s), it is believed that other locations such as the Yardley Grist Mill (a former mill that supplied sorghum and meal to Union soldiers during World War I) and Lakeside (one of the area’s earliest homes) were stops on the Railroad that were connected by an underground tunnel system.
A stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War, the Archambault House is most notable for the exquisite iron grillwork on its porch.
Joseph O.
- When it first opened its doors in 1850, it was known as Newtown Hall.
- It was a favorite gathering place for town meetings and anti-slavery demonstrations.
- African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church (also known as the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church): The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church), which is about 200 years old, is the oldest African American church in Bensalem and a historic Underground Railroad safe post.
- It is estimated that he assisted around 9,000 fugitives in fleeing, making him one of the most influential men in Bucks County who was linked with abolitionism at the time.
- Leroy Allen was a fugitive slave from Roanoke, Virginia, who sought refuge here before joining the Union Army to fight for his freedom in the Civil War.
- Walking down the shoreline, don’t miss the Harriet Tubman Memorial Statue, which is a must-see among Bucks County’s Underground Railroad landmarks.
- Before the Civil War, she put her life in danger a number of times in order to assist approximately 70 slaves northward.
- There will also be three speaker series events, one of which will be held each month.
- However, during the time of the Underground Railroad, it was utilized to conceal persons as they made their way northwards across the United States.
- The hatch is located in the gazebo on the property.
- Moore, a potter from the area, became well-known for his friendliness, and many people were sent to his house.
More than 600 fugitive slaves were liberated thanks to the efforts of the two. See the complete list of places at www.visitbuckscounty.com/things-to-do/planning-ideas/underground-railroad/ for the most recent information.
The Underground Railroad in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
It was the Underground Railroad that gave hope for a new life to thousands of fugitive slaves during the 18th and 19th centuries. Runaways depended on abolitionists and generous towns to assist them on their trek northward through this covert network of hidden, safe sites during the Civil War. Believe it or not, Bucks County was home to several major stations along the railroad, ranging from pubs and churches to privately-owned farms, many of which may still be visited. More and more individuals are exploring sites that once characterized the life of their ancestors as part of the growing heritage and ancestral tourism trends.
Here are a few examples of locations in the list: In addition to the Continental Tavern (which was originally known as the Continental Hotel in the 1800s), it is believed that other locations such as the Yardley Grist Mill (a former mill that supplied sorghum and meal to Union soldiers during World War I) and Lakeside (one of the area’s earliest homes) were stops on the railroad that were connected by an underground tunnel system.
- The Archambault House: During the Civil War, the Archambault House served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and it is most notable for the exquisite iron grillwork that decorates its porch.
- Archambault, a dentist, innkeeper, postmaster, and previous proprietor of the Brick Hotel, assisted slaves in their efforts to continue their journey northward.
- Today, it is the oldest continuously functioning movie theater in the United States.
- There are several notable abolitionists who have spoken at this event, including Lucretia Mott and Frederick Douglass.
- The AME Church has been in existence for almost 200 years and is the oldest African American church in the city.
- The number of fugitives he helped escape is thought to have been about 9,000, making him one of the most significant figures in Bucks County who was engaged with abolitionism.
- The Union Army took Leroy Allen in as a fugitive slave from Roanoke, Virginia, and he eventually joined the army to fight for his freedom.
Take a look at the Harriet Tubman Memorial Statue while strolling along the waterfront; it’s a must-see among the Underground Railroad landmarks on Bucks County’s historic shoreline.
Several times before the Civil War, she risked her life in order to escort over 70 slaves north.
There will also be three speaker series events, one of which will be held every month.
Wedgwood Inn: This kind of concealment, however, was employed to shelter persons during the time of the Underground Railroad, who were traveling north.
There is a hatch in the gazebo on the property that leads down to the subterranean tunnel system.
Richard Moore House Moore, a potter from the area, became well-known for his generosity, and many people were sent to his house.
More than 600 fugitive slaves were liberated as a result of the efforts of the two. If you want to see the whole list of destinations, go to www.visitbuckscounty.com/things-to do/planning-ideas/underground-railroad/.
Celebrate Harriet Tubman Day by Exploring Philly’s Underground Railroad Sites
The inscription on the Liberty Bell, a notoriously shattered symbol of the abolitionist cause, says, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the people thereof,” according to the Bible. In this exhibition, you can see how the bell became a worldwide symbol of freedom through exhibits and movies. As in February 2021, the Liberty Bell will be open everyday, with capacity restrictions in place to provide a safe tourist experience. More information can be found at Visit Philadelphia used this photograph by M.
Kennedy.
In 1796, one of them, Ona Judge, was able to escape bondage with the assistance of the Philadelphia community of free Blacks.
More information can be found at Visit Philadelphia used this photograph by P.
- Meyer.
- Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church is located on the oldest plot of property continuously held by African Americans and serves as its “mother” church.
- Harriet Tubman, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and William Still all addressed the congregation from the pulpit of Mother Bethel.
- Tours of the museum are only available by appointment.
- During a self-guided tour of the site’s Underground Railroad Museum, visitors can explore historical items and hear tales about the site’s history, including the story of Cornelia Wells, a free African American woman who resided there during the Civil War.
Meyer for the City of Philadelphia African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876, a permanent exhibit at the country’s first institution sponsored and established by a major municipality to preserve, interpret, and show the legacy of African Americans, is on display at the Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In addition, the museum features rotating art exhibitions that explore the contemporary Black experience.
More information can be found at After becoming the first licensed African American Methodist preachers in 1784, Reverends Richard Allen and Absalom Jones staged a walk-out when the authorities of St.
George’s Methodist Church refused to allow Black members to sit in the church’s sanctuary.
More information can be found at This Quakerburial site, established in 1703, is the ultimate resting place of abolitionists such as Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis, and others.
It also serves as a center for environmental education.
More information can be found at Photo courtesy of R.
Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia of the Johnson House This house in Germantown, built in 1768, belonged to pious Quakers Samuel and Jennett Johnson, who, in the early 1800s, took in fugitive slaves from the South.
It is said that William Still and Harriet Tubman paid a visit to the residence, according to family history.
More information can be found at Volunteers at theKennett Underground Railroad Centergive tours of important places in this charming hamlet, which is located about an hour southwest of Philadelphia’s downtown core.
- While a timetable for guided bus tours is still being finalized for 2021, interested visitors can contact out through email to get a PDF for a self-guided tour in exchange for a $20 gift to the museum.
- Johnson The community of Bristol in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is home to a monument dedicated to Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, which stands along the Delaware River shoreline.
- More information may be found here.
- Enslaved persons were assisted in their trek north by churches, farms, pubs and other establishments in towns such as Yardley, Bristol, New Hope, and Doylestown, among others.
- The trip will include a stop to Collingdale’s Historic Eden Cemetery, which is the final resting place for some of the most famous people on the Underground Railroad, including William Still, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, James Forten, and many more.
- It includes a stop at Arlington Cemetery, formerly known as Riverview and Fernland Farms, both of which are located on National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom land and are managed by the National Park Service (National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom).
- click here to find out more
Imagining a Route to Freedom Aboard the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad sites may be found in numerous states, all the way down to the deep South and as far north as the Midwest. However, the Mid-Atlantic area has a particularly high concentration of intact sites and recorded history, which reflects the existence of a vigorous Underground Railroad network from the early nineteenth century through the Civil War. In part, this can be explained by the convergence of geography and politics, with the free state of Pennsylvania bordering on the slave state of Maryland at the time.
- The Mason-Dixon Line, on the other hand, is far older.
- In other words, when the delineation reaches the point where Pennsylvania and Maryland meet Delaware, it makes a 90-degree turn and goes south along the boundary between Maryland and Delaware until it meets Pennsylvania again.
- In addition to inputs from James Smither, a Philadelphia publisher named Robert Kennedy, the survey’s authors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, carried out the poll.
- It was difficult for Delaware to reconcile its ties with slavery.
- However, Delaware’s farms were typically smaller enterprises compared to the plantations of states to its south and west, as a result.
As Ashley Cloud, executive director of the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation in Wilmington, explained: “In 1860, around 1,800 African-Americans were slaves in Delaware, compared to approximately 20,000 who were free.” Several Underground Railroad sites are located in Delaware, Chester County, and Philadelphia, and all of them are in excellent condition.
- Aside from that, preservation frequently prioritizes large and notable properties while forgetting smaller modest places as well as individuals whose acts were not directly related to a specific address.
- A voyage along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and National Historical Park might begin in Church Creek, on Maryland’s eastern shore, which is home to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and National Historical Park.
- According to Cloud, “we were known as ‘the last halt on the road to freedom.'” Nonetheless, the trek across Delaware was as hazardous to that of going through Maryland.
- “New Castle County was more like other cities in the northeast,” she added.
- A view of the Camden Friends Meetinghouse, located at 122 East Camden-Wyoming Avenue in Camden, Delaware.
- Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The Friends Meetinghouse, located in Camden, is a well-known station that is still operational today.
- Two of the meeting’s participants, Warner Mifflin and John Hunn, were well-known abolitionists, according to the minutes.
Because walking that distance may take nine or more hours, it is probable that there were other stops along the route.
The former, which was built in 1774 by a tanner named William Corbit, is a magnificent example of Georgian architecture, while the latter, which measures around 20 by 22 feet, is notable for being one of the tiniest brick places of worship in the United States.
The hub of activity was the residence of Thomas Garrett, which was located in the neighborhood known as Quaker Hill.
At 201 Main Street in Odessa, Delaware, you’ll find the Corbit-Sharp House.
The Historic Odessa Foundation provided the image used here.
Sadly, Thomas Garrett’s home at 227 Shipley Street is not included in the list of significant structures.
Two of these, the Philadelphia Pike from Philadelphia to Philadelphia and the Kennett Pike from Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania, were heavily utilized by freedom seekers travelling north from Thomas Garrett’s mansion and other safe havens in the Philadelphia area.
The Pines, located at 721 East Baltimore Pike, was Bartholomew Fussell’s residence for many years.
At 507 Hillendale Road near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, you’ll find Oakdale (also known as the Isaac Mendenhall Estate).
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Oakdale was another neighboring property on Hillendale Road in Chadds Ford, constructed in 1840 and also known as the Isaac Mendenhall Estate.
The Tri-County Conservancy of the Brandywine (now The Brandywine Conservancy) stated in its 1972 nomination to the National Register that “its proportions and detail reflect the pragmatism of the rural people it served, in contrast to the more ornate houses which were being constructed during the same era.” They also made mention of a secret room in the carriage house, which they claimed was used to keep fleeing slaves on their way to freedom.
- Abolitionists Mendenhall and his wife Dinah were among the group of Quakers that broke away from the local Society of Progressive Friends in 1853 and created the Society of Progressive Friends at Longwood to struggle against slavery.
- It is presently home to the Brandywine Valley Tourism Information Center, which is located at 330 Greenwood Road in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
- Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of the People’s Hall at 810 Doe Run Road in East Fallowfield, Pennsylvania.
- If you prefer West Chester, a path could take you there.
- In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was common for farm buildings in the region to have white-washed stuccoed walls over local fieldstone, and this structure is a good example of that style.
- S.
- A friends organization is presently working to ensure the site’s long-term preservation.
While living at 341 East Lancaster Avenue with his daughters from 1837 to 1877, Zebulon Thomas maintained a boarding school, which was housed in a separate structure across the street.
It is now used as an office building.
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Besides being well-known for his sgraffito pottery and the red earthenware he fashioned from local clay, John Vickers was also well-known for his activism against slavery.
Its cluster of buildings at 192 East Welsh Pool Road is still standing and has been in continuous operation as a restaurant for many decades now.
Our journey from Exton takes us approximately 10 miles northeast to a collection of historic sites that have been maintained.
Pennypacker was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1831 to 1836, following which he devoted his time and energy entirely to anti-slavery efforts, rising to the position of president of both the Chester County and Pennsylvania abolitionist organizations.
Image courtesy of Google Street View of the Fitzwater Station at 264 Canal Street in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
The farm buildings, which are located alongside the Schuylkill Canal, are now home to Fitzwater Station, a restaurant that retains its original name.
Far of the development that has engulfed southern and western Chester County in recent decades began in the inner suburbs much earlier in the county’s history.
Upper Darby’s Sellers Hall is located at 150 Hampden Road.
Photograph courtesy of Michael Bixler As we go closer to Philadelphia, we arrive to Sellers Hall, which is located at 150 Hampden Road in Upper Darby.
Several generations of the Sellers family lived in this area and supported abolitionists and freedom seekers.
We can go to numerous significant places in Philadelphia in less than 10 miles if we start from Upper Darby.
While in the latter location, numerous members of the Johnson family were involved in the American Anti-Slavery Society and the Germantown Freedman’s Aid Association, in addition to providing refuge to freedom seekers.
Photograph by Michael Bixler of the Johnson House, located at 6306 Germantown Avenue.
Mother Bethel AME Church, located at 419 South 6th Street, was founded by Bishop Richard Allen, who provided assistance to freedom seekers and hosted abolitionist speakers.
Purvis founded the Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia to aid freedom-seeking fugitives, among other abolitionist endeavors, and his wife Harriet founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, among other organizations.
Vernon Street, which has been at the focus of a fight to save it for the past several years.
Photograph by Michael Bixler of the Robert Purvis House, located at 1601 Mt.
Currently, a historic marker stands in front of William Still’s last residence, at 244 South 12th Street, and a more recent addition to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places is a home at 625 South Delhi Street (formerly Ronaldson Street), which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
Undoubtedly the most comprehensive documentation of the extent of these efforts was made public in an 1872 book titled The Underground Railroad Records, which is still in print today.
Others continued their trek north, to other free states or Canada, stopping at a number of locations in Montgomery and Bucks counties along the way.
We learn about the station masters who acted on their consciences and who had the power and resources to take part in the war via their stories.
Photograph courtesy of Michael Bixler What’s missing are the more modest rest sites along the road, which were frequently occupied by free Blacks whose homes were not included on the National Register, as well as the numerous conductors who escorted the freedom seekers along the route to freedom.
Another group of people worked behind the scenes, and they were referred to as “the eyes and ears along the road” by Thomas Garrett.
“Can you tell me who was delivering these letters?
There are a plethora of historians and organisations committed to furthering our understanding. According to Cloud, “the research and the enthusiasm for telling these tales are unshakable.” “We’re all trying to offer a voice to those who don’t have one.”
Underground Railroad ~ The Channel to Freedom
The United States of America was not the “Promise Land” for African slaves. Instead, it was the country of Canada. The desire for liberation among black slaves was strong even decades before President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation (1860-1865), and particularly among slave owners in the southern United States, who regarded black men, women, and children to be their property. Many slaves were liberated as a result of the national Underground Railroad campaign, which began 30 years before the American Civil War and was led by both black and non-black abolitionists.
- In Pennsylvania, Bucks County served as a focal point for the movement, which extended throughout the region from Bristol to Yardley and all the way up to New Hope.
- Besides being a retired aeronautical engineer, he is also an eager student of African-American history.
- Several routes ran from Philadelphia through Bucks County, then on to Trenton, New Jersey, and New York until terminating in Canada, according to the National Park Service.
- There was no connection between the clandestine movement and the railroad system.
- “Abolitionists were sometimes responsible for organizing routes of the Underground Railroad.
- The slaves were referred to as ‘passengers.’ “‘Stations’ were people’s houses or businesses where runaway passengers and conductors could safely conceal themselves.” Stations were put up in secret and marketed through word-of-mouth campaigns that were kept under wraps.
- They were able to identify safe places because of lights in the windows, according to Mitchell.
According to the website, just a few records were kept of the movement and its stations in order to shield householders and fugitives from discovery.
If they were apprehended, black persons on the run from southern slave masters were compelled to return to slavery.
According to education.nationalgeographic.com, this extended to both persons who lived in states that supported slavery and those who lived in free states.
Originally from Maryland, where she was born into slavery, she managed to escape when she was 12 years old.
Tubman was born Araminta Ross.
Bathsheba Tubman began the Bucks County’s participation to the Underground Railroad at Bristol, according to Mitchell.
Louise Davis, a native of Bristol, is a descendent of Harriet Tubman.
A native of Gwynedd, Charles L.
A Bucks County Courier Times newspaper story quotes him as saying: “Mount Gilead Church in Buckingham, all down the canal, all the way down to Bristol, up to Easton, there’s some stations in New Hope, and all along the river there.
Among the sites identified by Mitchell as being historically significant are a white-columned mansion on South Main Street, a shop on Afton Avenue, a South Canal Street house that was moved for the construction of an ice cream shop, the Old Library, borough Baptist, and AME churches, and a stone house on River Road that he believes was used as a lookout point, according to Mitchell.
- In light of the fact that the three structures are in close proximity to one another, he is convinced that they were linked together by a tunnel system.
- During renovations of the bar/restaurant, it was revealed that there was some type of subterranean tube system beneath the premises.
- Eventually, a solution was found.
- To find out what was behind the wall, we moved a few of stones out and set up a light in front of it.
- And what we discovered was a tunnel that led all the way down to the earth.” Although this tunnel may have formerly used as a sistern to store what is now known as gray water, it was never utilized to transport sewage from the building’s basement to the street.
- “We excavated around 25 feet until we ran out of rope ladder,” said the team.
- It was at that point that Mitchell presented the argument that there were three concealed rooms.
According to Lyon, who is an avid history enthusiast and a re-enactor of the American Revolution, it would have been “natural” for the Quakers to be the most prominent abolitionists in the United States.
Now, (Mitchell) asserts that a tunnel joined these three structures that ran up from the location of the canal and connected them.
Lyons stated that he intends to continue digging.
“I believe she has,” he claimed.
A group of black folks occupied the space on the other side of the room.
In order to find out the location of the Underground Railroad tunnel or hideaway, Lyons urged Coleen to contact them. They rejected since it was a well guarded secret. Coleen, on the other hand, could hear the spirits muttering to each other. She explained to Lyons that it was close to the kitchen.
Commemorative Historical Marker Unveiled at Richland Quakers’ Richard and Sarah Moore’s Home · Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
As automobiles rush by on South Main Street in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, it doesn’t appear to be a heart-stopping experience. However, back in September 1851, as William Parker (an African-American farmer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania) fled north to Canada after taking part in the Christiana Riot, it may have seemed to be one of them. On his journey north to Canada, he stopped at a number of safe houses along the subterranean railroad. Each stop was only a little distance away on the lengthy trip north.
- William Parker, on the other hand, was able to make it to safety owing to the efforts of Quakertown Friends Richard and Sarah Moore, as well as their cohort of station masters on the underground railroad.
- In front of Richard Moore’s house, a tourist poses in front of the new historical monument.
- The memorial, which will be located right outside the Moores’ neat stone farmhouse (which is now a private dwelling) at 401 South Main Street in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, has been in the works for more than 15 years.
- When Jack Schick, a local Quaker from Richland Meeting, became involved in the cause in 2014, he reapplied with more material from Quaker archives, and was granted provisional permission.
- Follows the account of how the Christiana riot intersected with Quakertown’s Richland Meeting and its link to the underground railroad.
- A typical occurrence in the Parker household was the harboring of fugitives from the South; William and Eliza had both escaped slavery and were now dedicated to ensuring that others may do the same in the future.
- Once every two or three weeks, we’d hear reports of slaveholders or kidnappers: occasionally, a group of white men would storm into a house and drag a guy away.and on other occasions, a whole family would be kidnapped.
Edward Gorsuch, a Maryland farmer, regarded himself to be an enlightened slave owner, believing that he provided fair treatment to his captives.
Having received information that they were residing at Parker’s Lancaster property, he obtained arrest warrants from Philadelphia and traveled to Lancaster by train to arrest them.
After a brief battle, Eliza called for assistance by blowing a horn.
The pacifists refused to assist the marshals in their seizure of the men, and they advised the marshals to leave since, in their opinion, the men had the right to defend themselves against being forced into slavery.
William Parker was a wanted guy who had to run in order to avoid capture.
37 people were put to the test, including the two white Quakers, Elijah Lewis and Castner Hanway, who were both white at the time.
He was found not guilty, along with the other 36 defendants, in a surprising victory.
Eliza fled her home after the trial in order to join William in Canada.
Robert Leight, a local historian, their narrative was published in the Atlantic Monthly magazine in 1912.
They were well aware that, although they faced the possibility of imprisonment or penalties, those fleeing slavery faced the possibility of recapture and captivity, as well as punishment, trauma, and death.
In the words of historian Dr.
Whenever it was safe, they would be relocated to either the Stroudsburg or Easton Quaker Meetings in preparation for their journey northward.” “Most traveled on foot or in carts as they journeyed northward in search of freedom and new lives, but some stayed put, such as carriage driver Henry Franklin (also known as Bill Budd), who helped to integrate the Quakertown community.” The following description of fugitives arriving to Quakertown was written by Edward Maygill in 1907 for The Intelligencer, a newspaper produced by Swarthmore College in the early 1900s.
As soon as the fugitives arrived in Quakertown, where they felt secure, they expressed an interest in working, and Richard Moore was always eager to engage them personally or find them work among his friends and acquaintances.
These were, of course, sent out right once, and were frequently accompanied with letters to pals in Montrose or Friendsville, respectively.
However, as was the case elsewhere, the majority of their trip was done at night, with them resting snugly covered in some dark ravine, impassable marsh, or brushwood by the light of day.” Alton Fly, a Greeter for the Richland Meeting, greeted visitors to the meeting on Saturday at the open house.
They went on a tour of Quakertown’s businesses and buildings, as well as the Historical Society and the Richland Meeting House and its surrounding gardens.
ceremony in front of Moore’s stone house.
Reed, Vice President, and a performance by the Back Bench Boys, who sang an a capella version of Lift Every Voice and Sing, the Black National Anthem.
According to him, AAMBC is a “mobile museum that delivers programming into school systems.through scholarship awards.display of many of the items (which are held by AAMBC) and the African American experience itself.” In order to do this, we collaborate with organizations such as the Mercer Museum, the Pearl S.
Their initiative, “Bucks County Hidden Figures,” has honored individuals such as Leonard Miller, a NASCAR racing car owner who broke the color barrier in 1976, and Judge Clyde W.
The effort of establishing successful programs that assist people in gaining access to previously hidden knowledge is both challenging and rewarding.
Continue reading for more information on the Richland Meeting in a subsequent article. Visit www.blackpast.org for resources that have been compiled and curated regarding African American history.