September is International Underground Railroad Month. This week’s post is another in our “Resource Round-Up” series, which we occasionally publish during important months as a guide to learning more about the older and historic places and spaces in Pennsylvania that reflect that month’s theme. This one highlights just some sources related to the Underground Railroad (UGRR) in Pennsylvania.
Map of UGRR routes through the United States. Orange arrows show the approximate routes of flight. Orange shaded states are those permitting slavery in 1860. the blue shaded states are those permitting slavery in 1790. US state and territory boundaries in 1860 shown. Source: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm.
The Underground Railroad
Many of us learned about the Underground Railroad in school and have an awareness of what it was and its role helping freedom seekers escape from slave-holding Southern states before the Civil War.
What many of us may not remember is Pennsylvania’s role in this network of primarily overground routes and the people and places that helped enslaved African Americans reach freedom in the North. As the first free state above the Mason-Dixon line, several important lines crossed through Pennsylvania to northern states and Canada, some along the eastern side of the state and others along the southern and western borders.
In addition to Pennsylvania’s strategic location, Pennsylvania also had strong Quaker roots and abolition activity, particularly along the southern tier of the state and in the large cities of Philadelphia, Lancaster, York, and Pittsburgh.
This map is included in Wilbur H. Siebert’s 1898 book The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. The inset at upper left shows routes and stations in SE PA. Notes the density of routes at the western side of of Pennsylvania.
Why September?
September was chosen to represent International Underground Railroad Month because it was the month that two of the most well-known freedom seekers and Underground Railroad operatives, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery.
Blog Posts
These posts specifically connect with Underground Railroad history in Pennsylvania:
- Celebrating the Blairsville Area Underground Railroad (May 2023)
- The Underground Railroad in Columbia, Lancaster County (September 2022)
- Reinterpreting the Underground Railroad: The Sherman’s Dale Discharge Former Slaves’ Graves Site (February 2022)
Sherman’s Dale Discharge Former Slaves’ Graves. View in 2021, facing north. Photograph by PA SHPO.
Historic Context Studies
Historic contexts help assess the significance of a property by determining if a property represents a significant part of history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of a geographical area.
- Vigilance in Pennsylvania: Underground Railroad Activities in the Keystone State, 1837-1861 (Statewide context, 2000)
- Underground Railroad Resources in the United States (Nationwide context, rev. 2000)
PA SHPO has many historic contexts about different places, eras, regions, and subjects in Pennsylvania and you can see the full list on our website. The National Park Service also has a number of national contexts.
Pennsylvania Historical Markers
Historical markers are a great source of information about a person, place, thing, or subject. To date, there are 56 Pennsylvania Historical Markers related to the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. The subjects range from freedom seekers to specific institutions and properties to the homes of abolitionists and conductors.
We invite everyone to explore the nearly 2,500 cast aluminum markers online using this handy search tool. The historical marker database is searchable by keyword, county, or category. To find these 56 markers, search using the “Underground Railroad” category.
The Benjamin Walker Homestead, originally located just north of Pleasantville in West St. Clair Township, Bedford County, was a stop along a western PA UGRR route. Here, before and during the Civil War, members of the Walker family worked with local African American UGRR conductors to shepherd freedom seekers from the south across the Mason-Dixon Line.
PA State Archives Guides
The PA State Archives has a number of great resources, both online and at their Harrisburg building. A search of their online records, Record Groups, and Manuscript Groups can lead researchers to interesting places for information.
To help you navigate the Archives vast holdings for material relating to African American history in Pennsylvania, I’d recommend two resources in particular.
- Slavery and the Underground Railroad. This guide specifically draws on materials at the Archives related to the topics of slavery and the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania.
- Guide to African American Resources. This guide, written in 2000 by Ruth E. Hodge and updated in 2009, will help navigate the Archive’s Record and Manuscript groups.
I would highly recommend getting in touch with the PA State Archives to learn more about how they can help with your research.
National Resources
NPS’s Network to Freedom: In 1998, legislation titled the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 was passed, creating the Network to Freedom program. This program honors, preserves and promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide.
The Network to Freedom website contains a lot of useful information and links to additional resources. There are currently over 700 Network to Freedom locations in 39 states, plus Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. 61 of these locations are in Pennsylvania.
Network to Freedom locations in Pennsylvania. Orange circles are sites, blue diamonds are programs, and yellow squares are facilities. Accessed September 2024.
Library of Congress Underground Railroad Materials: The Library of Congress (LOC) website is always a good go-to source for all types of published information about a topic.
A search for “Underground Railroad” returned hundreds of pieces of source material, from photos to books to audio recordings. They do have some helpful researchers guides to focus topical research on Harriet Tubman and finding ancestors in the Anti-Slavery Movement and Underground Railroad.
Mount Gilead African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Buckingham Township, Bucks County was founded by a small congregation of African Americans about 1834. The present stone chapel dates to 1852. The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS PA-6714, 2003) documentation for Mount Gilead cites the property’s association with the Underground Railroad in Bucks County. This long-held belief endures because of its location close to the Delaware River, secluded location on Buckingham Mountain, and wealthy Quaker neighbors and benefactors.
This article piqued my interest. It also makes me wonder about some other places alleged to be sites where escaped slaves settled. One such location is in Earl township, Berks county. Local lore indicates the existence of a cemetery. I don’t know the exact date but at some point prior to the Civil War a quarter acre of land was bought and a small chapel built. The surrounding property was used as a burial site for those who attended the church. There is a survey map showing the outline of property. A search of the location was unproductive in verifying remains of the building or any grave sites. Perhaps more technological resources would pinpoint archeological evidence. It is now on private property.