The "The Underground Railroad" Story

The Underground Railroad routes showing
it going through southeastern Pennsylvania.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading some more stories about our local hero, Thaddeus Stevens, whose first name my wife and I gave to our second son as his middle name.  Just had to do that since he was born in 1976, our country's Bi-Centennial year.  Months ago I visited the location of Stevens home in Lancaster, PA when I was writing a story about him.  Read today that the location of his home on South Queen St. was part of the Underground Railroad during the time of the Civil War.  Not only was his home a "safe house," but the home of his "common-law-wife," Lydia Hamilton Smith whose property adjoined Stevens.  For years I thought that the Underground Railroad was really a railroad that ran under the city of Lancaster, much like the subway in Philadelphia.  Wasn't until I learned about the Civil War and Lancaster's ties to it while in junior high school that I realized it was above ground and wasn't really a railroad.  There are many locations in southeastern Pennsylvania that were part of the Underground Railroad.  Columbia, PA, which is on the banks of the Susquehanna in Lancaster County was home to black businessman William Whipper who was part owner in a lumber yard and who built secret compartments in actual railroad boxcars to help transport southern slaves to safety in nearby Philadelphia.  150 years ago the Confederate Army had captured York, PA, which is across the Susquehanna from Lancaster, and was heading to Lancaster enroute to Harrisburg.  Union Troops, fighting with the Pennsylvania Militia and the Black Militia tried to keep the southern army from crossing the bridge into Lancaster.  After failing to stop the south on the York side of the river, they retreated to the Lancaster side and attempted to blow up the bridge which also failed.  Finally set fire to the bridge which managed to keep the Confederate Army from crossing and heading to Harrisburg, PA.  The river ended up being a crossing point for southern slaves on the road to freedom.  Some made their way to Columbia to be helped by Whipper into Lancaster and the homes of Stevens and Smith, while others crossed the river to the south at Peach Bottom and still others followed a path that lead them along the Octoraro Creek in eastern Lancaster County to the town of Christiana where farmer, abolitionist and former slave William Parker lived.  Two women who were caught and taken to the jail in Lancaster, which is now the location of The Fulton Opera House, were sprung by Sheriff Dave Miller (Dare Devil Dave) who believed they were wrongly captured by bounty hunters  The destination for most slaves was eventually Philadelphia, and then on to Canada.  It was reported that close to 100,000 slaves seemed to disappear underground as they were being pursued by their owners, thus the term "Underground Railroad."  It is also said that the slaves managed to escape by using the directions in such songs as Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Brother Moses Gone to de Promised Land, Wade In The Water, and Follow the Drinkin' Gourd.  The Underground Railroad was the lifeline for the fleeing slaves.  The federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 made helping or harboring slaves a crime, but didn't stop the organization of freed blacks and white abolitionists from helping slaves via the Underground Railroad. On September 11, 1851, Maryland slave owner Edward Gorsuch came to the farm of William Parker in Christiana with a posse demanding his property citing the slave law.  Gorsuch died in the battle that resulted and some 40 people were charged with treason.  Thaddeus Stevens defended them, and after the first defendent was aquitted, the charges against the rest were dropped.  For someone who disliked history while in high school and college, I found that reading the accounts and stories about my home Lancaster County and its part in the Civil War was remarkably interesting.  If only I had enjoyed history half a century ago I might have avoided all those bad grades!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.