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Richard Allen Stained Glass
Photo by M. Epps
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Location:
Center City and Germantown
Transportation:
Foot, Cab, or Public Transit
Duration:
Every day, any day
In the early 1800s and in the years leading up to the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was formed to help those held as slaves, largely in the Southern states, to journey to parts of North America where they could live in freedom. The Railroad often operated in great secrecy and under cover of darkness.
The network used railroad terms to describe its effort: The runaways making their way to self-emancipation were called "passengers"; the homes and businesses where they would rest were called "stations" and "depots" and were run by "stationmasters"; those responsible for moving the passengers from one station to the next were known as "conductors"; and those contributing money or goods to the cause were termed "stockholders."
Philadelphia, by virtue of its Quaker heritage, many active abolitionist groups, and key location in relation to the Mason-Dixon line, played a major role in this movement. In fact, one of the earliest recorded "organized" escapes is thought to have occurred in 1786 when the Quakers assisted a group of refugees from Virginia to freedom.
The following year, historians believe, a Quaker teenager, Isaac T. Hopper, started to organize a network for aiding fugitives from slavery that, by 1831, was known as the Underground Railroad. Another Quaker, Levi Coffin, is believed to have assisted 3,000 former slaves to freedom. Harriet Tubman, who would become nationally known as one of the leaders of the Underground Railroad, briefly settled in Philadelphia after making her own escape from a farm in Maryland. She returned often to the City of Brotherly Love to confer with William Still, Philadelphia's leading stationmaster.
As the Railroad developed, according to one estimate, some 100,000 slaves made their way to freedom between 1810 and 1850.
The folklore surrounding the movement includes many accounts of secret passageways, hidden rooms and sliding wall panels, but actual historical facts can be difficult to verify. This tour covers key locations that are considered historically accurate.
Part One
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The Liberty Bell Center
Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC
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Begin the Independence Visitors Center at 6th & Market Streets for a view of the Philadelphia region. After seeing all the region has to offer, begin your tour at the Liberty Bell right across the street. This historic symbol of freedom and human rights was commissioned in 1751 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Liberties, or constitution, of Pennsylvania. Inscribed with the Biblical quotation, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," (Leviticus 25:10). In the 1830s the bell became a symbol of the abolitionist movement.
Continue south on 6th street about six blocks to Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The first A.M.E. church in the world, Mother Bethel also sits on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans in the United States.
A focal point in the African-American struggle for freedom and justice, the church under the leadership of founder Richard Allen, a former slave, served as a key station in the Underground Railroad. Many of the movement's major figures, including Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass and William Still, spoke from the rostrum of Mother Bethel.
Next, head north and west to the vicinity of 12th and Spruce streets--244 S. 12th St. is the last known address of stationmaster William Still (1821-1902). Still was born in slavery but his father was able to buy his freedom. He went on to become a highly successful coal merchant, amassing a fortune estimated at $1 million, and used his position to further the abolition cause.
In 1847, he was named a clerk in the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and later served as secretary of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee and the Underground Railroad. Still, who also lived at 832 South St., is credited with assisting some 649 men, women and children, as well as providing what is considered the best and most accurate documentation of the struggles of runaway slaves through his 1872 book, "The Underground Railroad."
Part Two
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The Johnson House
Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC
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For the next part of the tour, it is necessary to use a car or take public transportation to the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The Johnson House, built in 1768, stands as the only known structure in the city, open to the public that served as a station in the Underground Railroad. The National Historic Landmark is located in the Germantown section, which was a center for the 19th century abolition movement in Philadelphia you can drive or take a Regional Rail line.
The house was occupied by five generations of the Johnson family. In the 1850s, the third generation, among them Rowland, Israel, Ellwood, Sarah and Elizabeth, became active in such groups as the American Anti-Slavery Society and the Germantown Freedman's Aid Association. The house served as a meeting place for leaders of the Underground Railroad--Harriet Tubman, the most famous of the conductors, conferred here with Philadelphia station master William Still.
Finish up this living history lesson by returning to Center City Philadelphia to visit the African American Museum. This modern facility, located just north of the historic district, provides an excellent overview of African-American history and culture and offers additional resources on the Underground Railroad.
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