Pennsylvania Quest for Freedom Lancaster County Guide Script
Guide Script ...... 1–27 Introduction ...... 1–3 Christiana ...... 4–5 Stop No. 1: Site of Christiana Resistance ...... 6–7 Stop No. 2: Christiana Underground Railroad Center ...... 8–10 Stop No. 3: Mt. Zion AME Church ...... 11 Bird-in-Hand...... 12 Stop No. 4: Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop...... 13 Gibbons Farm ...... 14 Stop No. 5: Lampeter Friends Meeting House ...... 15 Lancaster...... 15–17 Stop No. 6: Bethel AME Church...... 18 Stop No. 7: Stevens/Smith Historic Site ...... 19 Stop No. 8: Thaddeus Stevens Gravesite ...... 20–21 Columbia ...... 21 Stop No. 9: Zion Hill Cemetery ...... 22 Stop No. 10: First National Bank Museum ...... 23–24 Stop No. 11: Wright’s Ferry Mansion ...... 25 Stop No. 12: Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge ...... 26–27
Resource and Source Materials ...... 28–29
Appendix ...... 30–44
This Quest for Freedom script was created by Terri R. Durden of Tribute at Freedom’s Crossing, Inc., with assistance from Cara O’Donnell and Darlene Colon. Local community experts also added information and research to aid in the completion of this project.
Tribute at Freedom’s Crossing Terri Durden P.O. Box 1088 Lancaster, PA 17608-1088 717-481-7935 [email protected]
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 Pennsylvania Quest for Freedom Lancaster County Guide Script
INTRODUCTION: To be delivered upon meeting the group or immediately following boarding of motorcoach.
Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to take a moment to welcome you to a Lancaster County you may have never seen before.
Most of you are probably already familiar with the peaceful countryside of Lancaster County. We’re known for our Amish community — the oldest in the United States — as well as for our rolling hillsides, quiet country lanes, handmade crafts, and sense of history and tradition.
Pennsylvania was, after all, founded by an English Quaker, William Penn, as a colony of people of different religions who were suffering persecution in Europe. Among the many religious groups who sought freedom by braving the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean were Mennonites and Amish.
But what many of you may not know about the history of Lancaster County is its prominent place in the story of the Underground Railroad.
Today, I’m going to lead you on a journey that will take us along the back roads where the activity of the Underground Railroad took place.
The Underground Railroad in U.S. history was neither “underground” nor a “railroad,” but was a loosely organized network of aid and assistance for helping fugitive slaves escape to areas of safety in free states. The escaped slaves were called passengers, the homes and other facilities where they were sheltered were called stations, and the persons providing aid and assistance to the fugitive slaves were conductors.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 1 During our journey today, we’ll:
• Give you a general overview of Lancaster County’s Underground Railroad.
• We’ll discuss the role of abolitionism in our area.
• And we’ll explore escape routes used by the enslaved and meet the many fascinating people and places associated with the Underground Railroad.
NOTE: You may want to edit the following few paragraphs if your particular tour does not plan to visit the entire Quest for Freedom trail in Lancaster County.
We’ll visit the roads surrounding the Christiana Resistance — which some later called the very first shots of the Civil War.
We’ll meet some Quaker abolitionists who helped these freedom seekers in towns now more well-known for their Amish communities.
We’ll travel through the city of Lancaster, America’s largest early inland city and a very important place for free Blacks and for those still in search of their freedom.
And we’ll venture to Columbia, a gateway of sorts for Underground Railroad activity. Positioned along the Susquehanna River north of the Mason-Dixon Line, Columbia was one of the very first places where the enslaved could believe that they had achieved their quest for freedom.
Today we’ll be traveling along the paths and routes the enslaved took to freedom. You’ll be drawn back to a time rich in history, filled with lessons that you can carry away with you. Get an emotional feel of what it was like under the quilt of night, being hunted by slave-catchers and their bloodhounds.
You can only imagine what it may have been like being on the run... almost free, then being caught and taken back into bondage, only to flee again!
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 2 Imagine what it must have felt like to be whipped, to have your back checkered, then to have salt or pepper poured into the open wounds.
We want to leave an indelible impression on the minds of each and every one that is willing to venture into the unknown.
We want to give you a more complete history of Lancaster County, to carry away with you the rich stories of this land. We want you to leave more knowledgeable than when you arrived. And to educate and empower you through past events that took place right here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
En route to Christiana
Most of you are probably aware of the general timeline of the Civil War and the Underground Railroad activity that took place during that time.
But, can any of you tell me when the anti-slavery movement and the Underground Railroad began in Lancaster County?
We’ll start our journey by giving you a brief history of the events surrounding this area — a timeline of facts starting in:
1775: The Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society is established to protect fugitives and free Blacks unlawfully held in bondage.
1780: March 1st, Pennsylvania passes the gradual Abolition Act [children born after March 1st, 1780, to be indentured until the age of twenty-eight].
1790: The census reflects 545 free Blacks and 348 enslaved Blacks in Lancaster County.
1817: About 50 persons of color meet on June 10th in Lancaster at the house of James Clendenin to discuss the establishment of a separate black congregation.
1820: Select and common councils of Lancaster pass ordinance on May 13th requiring “every free person of color” to register with the mayor’s office.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 3 Nearing Christiana
We’re getting close now to where our story begins — the village of Christiana. The village is very charming and quaint with big, old Victorian houses in the center of town.
But just outside the town itself — in an overgrown field along a creek — stands a historic marker identifying the location of the “Christiana Resistance” — which some call the beginning of the Civil War. This single event secured Lancaster County’s place as a hotbed of Underground Railroad activity.
To understand what happened at Christiana, you need to know a little more about the two men who emerged as the main characters.
Edward Gorsuch
First, we have Edward Gorsuch, a Maryland slave owner and wealthy owner of several thousand acres of land in what is now Baltimore. Edward Gorsuch, a church-going man, was known in his community as “class leader.” Gorsuch was said to have given some of his slaves their freedom, once they had served him for 28 years.
After they were given their freedom they were paid wages to stay on and work for their master; they still had their cabins, just the same as in the slavery days. They could go if they wanted to, but some chose to stay on and work for the wages.
NOTE: Pose a few questions to the visitors at this point. (Sample questions below.) • Why do you think the slaves would choose to stay on with their master once freed? • Do you think it was because they were so comfortable and happy? • Was it due to familiarity or was it that they were scared of the unknown?
William Parker
Our other leading man, so to speak, is William Parker.
Will Parker was born into slavery on a plantation in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He ran off from the plantation as a teenager with his brother and eventually the pair headed north and crossed into Lancaster County into freedom.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 4 William Parker, continued
He was known as a “fighting buck” and a defender of the rights of Blacks. Legend even tells that he once stood on the courthouse steps with an escaped slave in one arm while fending off two slave catchers with the other arm.
Parker rented a home in Christiana and became a leader of sorts. He always considered himself equal to whites, and so he naturally concluded that enslaved Blacks were greatly wronged. As a result, Parker became well-known for his assistance to those who were traveling along the Underground Railroad.
NOTE: Notice the similarities between Parker and Gorsuch — that both men were “class leaders” in their communities.
The Christiana Resistance
Now that you’ve met the characters that start our story, let’s delve into why this tiny village of Christiana is so crucial to the story of the Underground Railroad and the Civil War in general.
It was December of 1849 when Edward Gorsuch, the slave owner from Maryland, discovered that four of his slaves had run off.
Gorsuch set out to recapture what the law considered his “property” — along the way enlisting the help of a group of slave catchers.
Meanwhile, the group of escaped slaves arrived in Christiana and sought lodging at the home of William Parker.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 5 STOP N0. 1
Site of Christiana Resistance — Parker Site/Pownall Farm/Marker
NOTE: When arriving at the marker, take your time to allow the guests to absorb the scenery as it stands today. Give the following detailed account of the history, and paint the picture, so to speak, so that the visitors can imagine what happened for themselves.
This is the site of the famous Christiana Resistance. The marker indicates we’re in the area where Will Parker’s home once stood — just across the field to our south along the far tree line. It was on this spot where some say the Civil War began. As you can see, the house no longer stands — it was torn down in the late 1800s. This Pennsylvania historical marker near the house site tells the story. Photo taken by:Photo Terri A. Durden
Mural: Freedom Chapel Dinner Theatre — 15 North Bridge Street, Christiana
It was on the morning of September 11, 1851, that Edward Gorsuch, along with his son, federal marshals, and his posse tracked the escaped slaves here to Parker’s home.
After rapping on the front door, a marshal announced that they were there to apprehend Gorsuch’s property.
Words were exchanged and then, suddenly, shots were fired by both sides. Eliza Parker, William Parker’s wife, sounded a horn for help from an upstairs window and, before long, between 75 and 100 people came to the assistance of those inside the little homestead.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 6 STOP NO. 1: Site of Christiana Resistance—Parker Site/Pownall Farm/Marker
It’s interesting to note that white Quaker neighbors living in the area refused to assist the federal marshal. This is significant because of the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, which actually made it a crime to not assist in recapturing escaped slaves.
By the end of the encounter, when the smoke cleared, Edward Gorsuch’s lifeless body, hacked by corncutters, was found lying in a pool of blood in front of the Parker house.
The posse fled in the direction from which they had come barely two hours before. Parker had won, but this was to be only the first round of the battle.
NOTE: Continue to the Christiana Underground Railroad Center at the site of the historic Zercher Hotel, 11 Green Street, Christiana.
Soon after the event, the gap gang, an armed vigilante posse, began making their way to the area around Christiana searching for Blacks.
It didn’t matter whether they had taken part in the confrontation or not. Being black was enough to warrant arrest.
In all, 38 men — both white and black — were arrested and brought to the Zercher Hotel. The Quaker neighbors were also charged for their inaction.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 7 STOP N0. 2
Christiana Underground Railroad Center and Monument at Historic Zercher Hotel
LOCATION: Slokum And Green Streets, Christiana
NOTE: Allow guests to get off the bus at this point to check out the marker with the names of those tried for treason, and view the exhibits inside the hotel. The center is open Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and by appointment on Saturday and Sunday.
This site is the Zercher Hotel — one of only three sites in Lancaster County to be listed by the National Park Service in the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, the nation’s official register of authentic sites associated with the Underground Railroad.
This is where the men arrested were brought.
This is also where Edward Gorsuch’s body was taken after the gunfight that took his life.
Ellis & Evans, History of LC, Christiana 1846 — View West
You’ll notice that directly east of the hotel are train tracks. The hotel also served as the town’s train station, and Gorsuch’s body was brought here to be picked up by train to take it back to Maryland.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 8 STOP N0. 2: Christiana Underground Railroad Center and Monument at Zercher Hotel
The Christiana Resistance monument was placed on this site by the Lancaster County Historical Society on September 11, 1911 — on the 60th anniversary of the event.
An interesting tidbit about the monument itself — you’ll notice that Gorsuch’s name — on the one side — faces south — towards his beloved Maryland. The names of the 38 men arrested face north — toward freedom.
That wasn’t the only role this site played, however. The hotel became a headquarters of sorts for the subsequent inquest.
Federal troops were called in to help with the ensuing investigation, and the 38 men were charged with treason for their defiance of a federal order, refusing to aid the marshal in the apprehension of the fugitives.
Part of the defense team was Lancaster’s abolitionist lawyer, Thaddeus Stevens, who also served as the county’s U.S. representative in Congress. You’ll hear more about Stevens later in our tour of Lancaster City.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 9 STOP N0. 2: Christiana Underground Railroad Center and Monument at Zercher Hotel
The treason trials were conducted on the second floor of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. After three months of testimony, the jury deliberated for only fifteen minutes before returning a verdict of “not guilty.”
The verdict sent a signal to the south that the Fugitive Slave Law would not be enforced in the north and further fanned the flames of distrust and disorder that were spreading throughout the country.
The Fugitive Slave Law was, in fact, tested many times during that first year after it was enacted, but, each time the law won the test. However, these events in Christiana marked the first time that the law was turned back or successfully challenged.
NOTE: Reboard bus and head to optional stop at Mt. Zion Church, note difficult access for motorcoach.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 10 STOP N0. 3
Mt. Zion AME Church and Cemetery
LOCATION: Christiana, PA
This church, the Mount Zion AME, was where local Blacks met during the time leading up to and following the Christiana Resistance. Will Parker, incidentally, was a leader in the church and was even referred to as “preacher.” Photos takenPhotos by: Terri A. Durden
Mt. Zion AME Church
In the adjacent cemetery, you’ll find the headstones for a number of the U.S. Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War — you can see the flags blowing in the wind.
Leaving Christiana
NOTE: From Christiana, take 30 West and bear right onto 772. Follow 772 until it intersects with Route 340 in the village of Intercourse. Follow 340 West to Bird-in-Hand.
Our journey through Christiana has now come to an end. We have only touched upon a few of the incidents that occurred in the Christiana area. There is so much more knowledge to be gained from the stories that are waiting to be told.
Right now we need to focus on our travels. We’ll be traveling through some of Lancaster County’s scenic Amish countryside to head into the Bird-in-Hand area.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 11 STOP N0. 3: Mt. Zion AME Church and Cemetery
Talking Points Bird-in-Hand
Just ahead is the village of Bird-in-Hand, another stagecoach stop on the Old Philadelphia Pike that ran west from Philadelphia to Lancaster in colonial days. The town took its name from the sign in front of the inn that referred to the proverb “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Remember, in the early 1700s, many people in the area were illiterate. Picture signs provided a way for travelers to visually recognize their location.
Swiss-Germans/Quakers Relation to Slavery
The Swiss-Germans were the largest ethnic group in Lancaster County. Did you know that our nation’s language was one vote short of being German instead of English? By 1782, this group made up two-thirds of the population. Interestingly, despite their large numbers, they held only ten percent of the county’s slaves — far less than their English and Scots-Irish neighbors, according to records of 1779 and 1780.
The Brethren had always opposed slavery, but did not openly crusade against it. Few participated in antislavery movements.
From the time of their arrival in America until the Civil War, the Mennonite church forbade all houses of worship and individual communicants to possess slaves. Mennonites were expected to disavow all slaveholding, an expectation that virtually all faithfully fulfilled. However, Mennonites also kept a very low profile when it came to the slavery issue and were careful not to be caught in any public controversy on any issue, especially the slavery issue. Their main focus was on perpetuating their antislavery beliefs within their own congregations.
A few of the other religious communities that came to Lancaster County, such as the Moravians, Reformed, Lutherans and Jews, joined the practice of chattel slavery, purchasing slaves and using them for domestic and other kinds of labor. Yet the total number of Protestant German and Jewish slave owners was relatively small.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 12 STOP N0. 4
Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop
LOCATION: 542 Gibbons Road, Bird-in-Hand, PA
We’ll be stopping briefly at the Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop, because you simply can’t come through Bird-in-Hand without experiencing a taste of the baked goods found here. The shop is operated by members of our plain sect community. It is interesting to note that African Americans traditionally prepared pies and cakes with ingredients similar to those that the Amish and Mennonites use today (lard, pure butter, sugar, etc.). Like the Amish, African Americans are also known for their creativity of arts and crafts, especially the art of quilting. You’ll notice the shop is on Gibbons Road, named for our next leading characters on this section of our tour.
NOTE: Allow the group to unload from the bus and spend some time browsing in the shop. You may want to give some of the following background material as they relax, eat, etc.
Homemade breads, potato rolls, pies, angel food cake, whoopie pies, shoofly pies, cookies, and noodles. Hand-dipped ice cream. Local made crafts. Gift items. Picnic area, playground, and small animal petting zoo.
Open: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., March through December. January and February, open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Handicap Accessible; MC, V, AMEX, MAC and personal checks accepted.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 13 STOP N0. 4: Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop
Talking Points The Gibbons Farm
NOTE: Drive-by site only — farm is now a private residence and is not open to visitors. Must tell the story of the Gibbons family as you drive by the farm from the bus or van in front of property and then continue to the Meeting House, Stop No. 5.
Daniel and Hannah Gibbons
A few Lancaster County Quakers did take a more active role in standing against slavery. Two of these were Daniel and Hannah Gibbons — their farm was located here at the corner of Gibbons and Beechdale Road. The original house was destroyed in the 1980s, and today, the farm is a private residence and is known as Beechdale Farms.
Daniel and Hannah were said to “use everything short of violence to harbor and transport slaves.” Stories tell that Daniel and Hannah Gibbons were such committed abolitionists that they would travel south and assist slaves to freedom. They actually abducted slaves in the south and brought them north to freedom.
You may notice the creek running alongside the road leading to the area of the Gibbons farm. We believe many trudged through the creek to get to this place of safety. A tap at the window was often a signal that a fugitive was outside. The escapees were taken to the barn at night and then brought to the house separately in the morning to receive a new “identity.”
Some even remained and worked in the neighborhood, if they were not being closely pursued. It is said that during a period of about 50 years, the Gibbons family aided as many as 1,000 slaves on the road to freedom.
The Gibbons family reportedly kept a detailed record of the fugitives whom they aided, but unfortunately, the Gibbons’ burned many of their documents after the onset of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, which made it a “crime” to aid fugitives.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 14 STOP N0. 5
Lampeter Friends Meeting House—Bird-in-Hand, Gravesite of Daniel and Hannah Gibbons
LOCATION: Route 340, Bird-in-Hand, PA
Here is the final resting place for Daniel and Hannah Gibbons. The Bird-in-Hand Meeting House was founded in 1749. The current brick building dates back to 1889. Note the stepping- stone to help ladies to step up into the horse- drawn wagons. The two-story structure behind was the Bird-in-Hand academy, a boys’ school.
Talking Points En route to Lancaster
NOTE: Continue along Route 340 West until it intersects with King Street/Route 462. Bear right to head into Lancaster City.
Since the Underground Railroad was a secret operation, documenting the people and locations can be difficult. There are numerous journals that had been kept by abolitionists who assisted fugitives in their flight to freedom. Some kept detailed logs of slaves and their family members so that one might be able to trace back and eventually reunite with family members at some later date.
However, some of those logs and journals were burned when their keepers feared being caught assisting slaves. As a result, so much history has been lost, but many stories have been saved and passed down from generation to generation as oral histories — some of the only ways these stories are preserved today.
Those of you looking to conduct additional research may find the Lancaster County Historical Society on President Avenue in Lancaster helpful. There are a number of interesting documents there, including a “negro entry book” that was kept by the city of Lancaster in the 1820s.
An interesting collection of African American studies materials compiled by Dr. Leroy Hopkins, a native Lancastrian and professor of German studies at Millersville University, is also available for your review. The Historical Society also has a website with extensive African American resources available at www.Lancasterhistory.org
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 15 STOP N0. 5: Friends Meeting House—Bird-in-Hand, Gravesite of Daniel and Hannah Gibbons
Talking Points En route to Lancaster, continued
The Historical Society is located next door to Wheatland, the home of the nation’s 15th president, James Buchanan. Buchanan was Pennsylvania’s only citizen to serve as president of the United States, and was the President James Buchanan last president to serve before the Civil War.
NOTE: As bus enters city limits.
Just ahead on your left is the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. In his will, Stevens left $50,000 for the establishment of a school for the relief and refuge of homeless and indigent orphans of all races. His original bequest has evolved into the Thaddeus Stevens School of Technology. Today, the Stevens School is an independent two-year college with a 99.5% job placement rate.
NOTE: Turning right off of Broad Street get in left lane, go to corner turning left onto Orange Street. Continue on Orange Street to Duke, and then head south on Duke Street to Chesapeake.
Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens was one of Lancaster’s most prominent citizens and an avid abolitionist. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853, and again in 1859 until his death in 1868. This was the period leading up to and during the Civil War and the reconstruction period. Stevens’ legacy is the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which serve as the basis
Thaddeus Stevens for all civil rights legislation.
Stevens and his contemporary, James Buchanan, were definitely rivals on the political front, yet they led eerily parallel lives.
Both men rose from humble origins, and throughout their lives, the two men would find their bitterly opposed political viewpoints inextricably entwined.
Buchanan would lead the United States to the brink of Civil War. Stevens would shape the aftermath.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 16 STOP N0. 5: Friends Meeting House—Bird-in-Hand, Gravesite of Daniel and Hannah Gibbons
Talking Points Thaddeus Stevens, continued
They both elected to be single and were lifelong bachelors and workaholics, fueled by intense political ambition.
Both men were lawyers who built their careers in Lancaster and lived two miles away from one another.
An interesting side note: Both men even used the same barber to cut their hair. The barbershop was owned by Thaddeus Henry, an African American, and from a newspaper account, it was apparently located between Stevens’ and Buchanan’s offices. The two men also went to the same physician.
They even passed away the same year — it was the summer of 1868, amidst the postwar trauma of reconstruction.
NOTE: Continuing along Chesapeake Street you will pass the gravesite of James Buchanan. It is located in Woodward Hill Cemetery, adjacent to Bethel Harambee’s educational center.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 17 STOP N0. 6
Bethel AME Church
LOCATION: 512 East Strawberry Street, Lancaster, PA
Bethel AME is the oldest AME church in Lancaster County. As oral tradition, as well as the mission and traditions of the AME church indicate, Bethel sheltered Africans who sought freedom along the Underground Railroad and served as a center of spiritual renewal for free African Americans who lived in Lancaster. The cemetery is also the final resting place of several members of the U.S. Colored Troops.
Members of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, which traces its roots to the Methodist Episcopal Church, were tireless in their efforts to secure liberty for the enslaved, risking their own lives and freedom in the process. The church’s founder adhered to a belief in “racial solidarity and abolitionist activity.” Lancaster Bethel AME church, the third congregation formed under this denomination, shared this vision, and several members of the Lancaster congregation were actively involved in the Underground Railroad.
Today, you can journey back to the time before the Civil War and experience first-hand the plight and struggle of escaped Africans while viewing and participating in the living history production “living the experience.”
NOTE: When leaving Bethel, turn onto Queen Street. Continue north on Queen until you reach King Street, turn right, going one block and turning right onto Duke Street continuing down one block and turning right onto Vine Street to drive past the Stevens/Smith historic sites and telling their stories while slowly passing by.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 18 STOP N0. 7
Stevens/Smith Historic Site
LOCATION: 45–47 South Queen Street/21–23 East Vine Street, Lancaster, PA CONTACT: Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County PHONE : 717-291-5861
On your right is the Vine Street home of Lydia Hamilton-Smith, housekeeper to Thaddeus Stevens. Next door in the attached home is where she owned and operated a boarding house, adjacent to the Kleiss Saloon and the law office of Thaddeus Stevens, located on South Queen Street.
Smith became Thaddeus Stevens’ housekeeper after the death of her husband. Lydia Hamilton-Smith had two sons, who, according to legend, owned a fire station in Lancaster and used their fire trucks to transport runaway slaves to freedom. Lydia Lydia Hamilton-Smith lived in a small house at the rear of Stevens’ property, where oral history tells us she apparently worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. After the Civil War, the stories say she may have encouraged Stevens’ efforts to ratify the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which ultimately extended the full rights of citizenship to newly freed Blacks.
In 2002, during an archeological dig at this site, researchers found earthenware and utensils dating back to the time of slavery, along with a large underground water cistern. Research is currently underway to determine the full role these relics played in the story of the Underground Railroad. It’s possible the cistern itself was used to harbor freedom seekers.
The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County is leading efforts to preserve the Thaddeus Stevens home and law office, the Lydia Hamilton-Smith houses, and the Kleiss Tavern as a historical museum and education center.
NOTE: Leaving Vine Street, turn right onto Queen Street, continue 2 blocks north turning left onto Orange Street, continuing up to Mulberry Street, making a right onto Mulberry Street. Pull over and park when you see the graveyard at the corner of Chestnut Street on the right. Allow time to disembark and view the gravesite.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 19 STOP N0. 8
Thaddeus Stevens Gravesite
LOCATION: Shreiner-Concord Cemetery—West Chestnut and North Mulberry Streets, Lancaster, PA
To your right is the final resting place of Thaddeus Stevens — the second site to hold the official National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom designation. Here we’ll be getting out to view the gravesite and to take photographs if you’d like.
Frederick Douglas, the noted black abolitionist, honored Stevens with Darlene Colon as Lydia Hamilton-Smith “the highest place among the statesmen who grappled with the issues raised by the slaveholder’s rebellion.” Booker T. Washington also made remarks about the heroism of Stevens at his gravesite.
Toward the end of his life, Stevens himself was quoted as saying, “My life has been a failure. With all this great struggle of years in Washington and the fearful sacrifice of life and treasury, I see little hope for the republic.” He continued, “After all, I may say my life has not been entirely in vain. When I remember that I gave free schools to Pennsylvania, my adopted state, I think my life may have been worth living.... That was the proudest effort of my life,” he remarked. “I gave schools to the poor and helpless children of the state.”
Stevens died in Washington, D.C., at midnight on August 11, 1868. His coffin lay in state in the capitol rotunda. More than 20,000 people — half of whom were free black men — attended his funeral in Lancaster.
Inscribed on his tombstone are the words: “I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural preference for solitude; but, finding other cemeteries limited as to race, by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his Creator.”
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 20 STOP N0. 8: Thaddeus Stevens Gravesite
Within one year of his death, Congress passed the 15th amendment, prohibiting states from withholding suffrage for reasons of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Stevens’ legacy lived on.
Just an aside, it’s interesting to see the similarities in strength and compassion for mankind that Thaddeus Stevens and Martin Luther King, Jr. shared, one a century before the other. Thaddeus Stevens sponsored the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments while Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Thaddeus Stevens died in 1868 and Martin Luther King, Jr. died 100 years later in 1968.
Talking Points En route to Columbia
We’ll now be heading to the last town on our tour, Columbia. This river town, located right along the Susquehanna across from York and not far from the Maryland border and the Mason-Dixon Line, was ideally located as a stop along the Underground Railroad.
Its industry and burgeoning free black population allowed escaping slaves to blend in with the community, and prominent black businessmen like Stephen Smith and William Whipper provided rest and transportation to those seeking freedom.
In Columbia, Blacks also received assistance from some whites. William Wright, whose home we’ll be visiting, donated a tract of land in Columbia known as “tow hill” to African American residents.
One area was not without its conflicts, though. As Underground Railroad activities increased and free Blacks became more prosperous, Columbia became a site of jealousy and hostility between races.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 21 STOP N0. 9
Zion Hill Cemetery
LOCATION: 5th and Linden Street, below Route 30 bridge, Columbia, PA
NOTE: Allow guests to exit the bus and wander through the cemetery. Give this information either before arriving or once at the cemetery.
This is the Zion Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of not only some of the more prominent names associated with the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County, but also of many U.S. Colored Troops, some of the famous 54th regiment of Massachusetts known as the “fighting 54th.” The 54th was featured in the 1989 movie Glory, with Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick.
Take some time to look at the headstones. You’ll see Benjamin Loney — from the U.S. Colored Infantry. He settled here in Columbia after the war and worked as a laborer with Bernard Sweeny, who was a private in Company F.
Many of this area’s black community’s family members are buried in Zion Hill Cemetery. There are quite a few direct descendants of slaves still living in the area that have been life long members of Mt. Zion AME church. Mt. Zion is located just up the street from this cemetery. This is the same congregation that was started by their ancestors in 1817.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 22 STOP N0. 10
First National Bank Museum
LOCATION: Corner of South Second Street at 170 Locust Street, Columbia, PA OWNERS : Nora and Michael Stark PHONE : 717-684-8864 | FAX: 717-684-8048 | E-MAIL: [email protected]
NOTE: Give this information prior to entering the museum.
This is the site of the First National Bank in Columbia — now a private home and open only by appointment as a museum. This is the third site in Lancaster County with that important Underground Railroad Network to Freedom designation from the National Park Service.
Here, Stephen Smith and William Whipper, both prominent free black businessmen living in Columbia, did all of their banking. The owners still have the records with both men’s names in the ledger.
Stephen Smith was born in neighboring Dauphin County and later lived in Columbia as an indentured servant. He was later sold to a Columbia man. In response, Smith’s mother, who was owned by another family in Dauphin County, escaped to be with her son. The owner of Smith’s mother came to Columbia to reclaim his property, but neighbors rushed to the Smiths’ aid.
On his 21st birthday, Stephen Smith bought his freedom for fifty dollars. By that time, he had become the manager of his former owner’s lumber yard. Once he was freed, he turned his efforts to developing his own lumber and real estate businesses, and ultimately became one of the wealthiest in Columbia and America during this time.
In addition to his success in business, Smith also aided fugitives, lectured against slavery, and contributed financially to fugitive activities. His economic means and antislavery sentiments did not go unnoticed, and he became the target of race riots in 1834–1835. In the 1830s, Smith was ordained as an African Methodist Episcopal minister in Columbia. He left Columbia for Philadelphia, but not without leaving his mark as a businessman and humanitarian.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 23 STOP N0. 10: First National Bank Museum
William Whipper, a cousin and close friend of Stephen Smith, was known for his role as an intellectual within the free black community in Philadelphia. In addition to being the editor of the National Reformer, the first African American magazine, Whipper was among the founders of the Philadelphia Library for Colored Persons.
In 1847, Whipper bought a home on Front Street in Columbia, and accumulated several business holdings in Lancaster County. He and Stephen Smith were joint owners of the lumber yard. Upon Stephen Smith’s departure from Columbia, Whipper became a leading African American in the area and became a “stationmaster” along the pathway to freedom, aiding countless fugitive slaves and contributing financially to various causes.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 24 STOP N0. 11
Wright’s Ferry Mansion
LOCATION: 38 South Second Street, Columbia, PA 17512 | PHONE : 717-684-4325
William Wright, as you may remember, was a very wealthy white man who worked to help escaped slaves and free Blacks living in Columbia. His family was one of the first Quaker families to settle in Lancaster County. Wright was one of the founders of the free-soil or liberty party within Pennsylvania, and this party opposed the extension of slavery within the territories newly acquired by the Mexican war.
He also has an interesting family tie-in to our “quest for freedom” story — his wife’s sister was Hannah Gibbons — whose story we heard during our visit to Bird-in-Hand.
Wright usually received fugitives from Maryland and Virginia, and these escapees would cross over the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge if they had the opportunity to do so. Some fugitives would even reach Wright’s mansion concealed in a hay wagon, or hide in a nearby cornfield until they could seek shelter in Wright’s mansion. Wright worked diligently with the conductors from York County, and they would often use passwords to identify each other. One of these passwords was “William Penn.”
The house to the right was at one time owned by William.
This mansion, called Wright’s Ferry, was actually built for Wright’s sister Susannah. Today, the Wright’s Ferry Mansion is open for tours. It is a tribute to the Quaker traditions of the time and 18th-century art.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 25 STOP N0. 12
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
Our final stop on our Lancaster County Quest for Freedom experience is just where that experience began for so many Blacks. At this place, fugitives crossed the Susquehanna River to freedom here in Columbia.
The bridge that stands today is not the one that was here during the mid 1800s. You can see the wooden stumps in the river — that is what remains of the former Columbia/Wrightsville Bridge. It was burned during the Civil War to prevent confederate troops from crossing the river.
The emotion is still very present, though.
From this point, you can see just across the river, where many Blacks must have waited in silence...men, women and children, so afraid to move, terrified of being caught and placed back in the grips of slavery.
So they waited by the river’s edge, perhaps for Robert Looney, the ferryman, to give them a sign that the coast was clear. Then he would ferry them across as he had done so many times before for so many before, all looking to start life anew.
Will Parker, one of our lead characters in the Christiana Resistance, crossed the river here, along with his brother Charles.
Some stayed and made Columbia their home. Some, like Will Parker, moved on to other towns such as Lancaster City and Christiana.
Some continued on to Canada, where they finally felt safe — they realized the freedom they had yearned for and finally achieved their goal.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 26 STOP N0. 12: Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
At the most dramatic level, the Underground Railroad provided stories of guided escapes from the south, rescues of arrested fugitives in the north, and the most complex communication systems and individual acts of bravery and suffering in the Quest for Freedom of all.
We have come to the end of our journey together. It is our hope that we have somehow enlightened you and that you feel more knowledgeable about the history surrounding Lancaster County, and also more aware about the events that had taken place in this area. If you want to learn more about a certain subject, person, place, or any historical facts, please feel free to ask us. We want you to leave more knowledgeable in your Quest for Freedom than when you arrived.
We wish you all a safe passage on your journey home.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 27 Resource Materials
Resource for Timeline: From Columbia to Christiana, African Americans in Lancaster County. http://www.Lancasterhistory.org/education/afam/timeline.html
Resource: Treason at Christiana, L.D. “Bud” Rettew
Resource: February 2002 Central PA Magazine/Resistance at Christiana
Resource: Resistance at Christiana, by Jonathan Katz
Resource: German Religious Groups and Slavery in Lancaster County prior to the Civil War, by The Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society
Resource: Digging into a Historic Rivalry, by Fergus M. Bordewich
Resource: Resistance at Christiana, by Stephanie Anderson
Resource: Shreiner’s Cemetery notes, by Mr. Walter A. Miller, court stenographer and secretary of the Thaddeus Stevens Memorial Association
Resource: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center, About PA Dutch. www.padutchcountry.com
Resource: The Pilgrim’s Pathway, The Underground Railroad in Lancaster County, by Charles D. Spotts, Community Historians Annual Number Five
Resource: muweb.millersville.edu/~ugrr/Christiana/PA.html
Resource: Mt. Zion AME Church Records, 222 South Fifth Street, Columbia, PA 17512
Resource: Thaddeus Stevens: Nineteenth-Century Egalitarian, Hans Trefousse, 1997
Credits/References
The following individuals and organizations were instrumental in the final review and development of this guide: Dr. Louise Barnett, Cliff Edmond, Hillary Green, Dr. Leroy Hopkins, V. Funmi Kennedy, Dr. Shirley Turpin Parham, Bud Rettew, Gwendolyn Winfree, the Lancaster County African American History Roundtable, and the Lancaster County Historical Society.
Photos: Christiana Riot Mural and Mt. Zion AME Church and Cemetery, all taken by: Terri A. Durden. Photo of Parker Residence taken by Bud Rettew; Scholastic Inc. and Susquehanna River by Lynn M. Styles; Lancaster Planning Commission. Thaddeus Stevens used with permission by The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County.
Recommended reading: William Still, The Underground Railroad; Margaret Hope Bacon, Rebellion at Christiana; Charles Blockson, The Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad; Jim Haskins, Get on Board — The Story of the Underground Railroad; Thomas P. Slaughter, Bloody Dawn: The Christiana Riot and Racial Violence in the Antebellum North; Bibliography of African Americans Resources in the collection of the Lancaster County Historical Society (http://Lancasterhistory.org).
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 28 Sources
Christiana Historical Society Darlene Colon 315 Newport Pike P.O. Box 135 Christiana, PA 17509 610-593-5199
Lancaster County Historical Society Tom Ryan 230 North President Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 717-392-4633
Bethel AME Phoebe Bailey 450–512 East Strawberry Street Lancaster, PA 17602 717-393-8379
Urban League of Lancaster Phyllis Campbell 502 South Duke Street Lancaster, PA 17602 717-394-1966
Crispus Attucks Cheryl Holland 407 Howard Avenue Lancaster, PA 17601 717-394-6604
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 29 Appendix
Other Area Attractions ...... 31
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom ...... 35
Civil Rights Acts ...... 36
Shreiner Concord Cemetery ...... 38
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 30 APPENDIX
Other Area Attractions
Christiana
Freedom Chapel Dinner Theatre 15 North Bridge Street, Christiana 610-593-7013
Historical and modern-day events brought to life, as well as original and standard musicals, comedies, and dramas in a truly unique setting!
Bird-in-Hand
Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market Route 340, Bird-in-Hand 717-393-9674
Experience mouth-watering aromas and tastes, and bountiful displays presented by approximately 30 local vendors.
Lancaster
Fulton Opera House 12 North Prince Street, Lancaster 888-480-1265
Experience world-class live professional productions, including the best of Broadway’s musicals, comedies, and dramas in this national historic landmark theatre.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 31 APPENDIX: Other Area Attractions
Lancaster, continued
Lancaster Cultural History Museum 5 West King Street, Lancaster 717-299-6440
Come face-to-face with history at the Lancaster Cultural History Museum.
Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum 37–41 North Market Street, Lancaster 717-299-6440
Lancaster County’s newest museum is home to the former Esprit collection of Lancaster County Amish quilts. Visit to learn what makes these quilts unique. Tuesday–Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on major holidays.
Lancaster Central Market 23 North Market Street, Penn Square, Lancaster 717-291-4723
America’s oldest farmers’ market, continuously operated since the 1730s. Tuesday and Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Saturday, 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It is closed for holidays. In these cases, market is held the day before the holiday.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 32 APPENDIX: Other Area Attractions
Lancaster, continued
Lancaster County Historical Society 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster 717-392-4633
Trace your family history or learn more about Lancaster County. Stop by the Lancaster County Historical Society. Open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays. Handicap accessible.
James Buchanan’s Wheatland 1120 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster 717-392-8721
The historic house museum of 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan, offers a unique glimpse into the life and times of our nation’s only bachelor president and only president from Pennsylvania.
Open daily, April 1st through October 31st, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. November: Friday through Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call for off-season hours.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 33 APPENDIX: Other Area Attractions
Columbia
National Watch and Clock Museum 514 Poplar Street, Columbia 717-684-8261
Experience a fun and fascinating journey into the world of timekeeping, beautifully illustrated by more than 12,000 treasures of time.
Columbia Market 308 Locust Street, Columbia 717-684-5767
Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. You are invited to come and peruse the large array of farm fresh produce, cheeses, baked goods, candy, prepared foods, and much more.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 34 APPENDIX
National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom
The National Park Service is implementing a national Underground Railroad program to coordinate preservation and education efforts nationwide and integrate local historical places, museums, and interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad into a mosaic of community, regional, and national stories.
The NPS project builds upon and is supported by community initiatives around the country, as well as legislation passed in 1990 and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998. Historic places and educational or interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad will become part of a network, eligible to use or display a uniform network logo, receive technical assistance, and participate in program workshops.
The Network will also serve to facilitate communication and networking between researchers and interested parties, and aid in the development of statewide organizations for preserving and researching Underground Railroad sites.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 35 APPENDIX
Civil Rights Acts
Several United States laws have been called the Civil Rights Act:
• Civil Rights Act of 1866 aimed to buttress Civil Rights Laws to protect freed men and to grant full citizenship to those born on U.S. soil, except Indians.
• While President Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill, the veto was overridden by U.S. Congress.
• Civil Rights Act of 1871 was also known at the time as the “Ku Klux Klan Act” because one of the main reasons for its passage was to protect southern Blacks from the KKK by providing a civil remedy for abuses then being committed in the south.
• Civil Rights Act of 1875 guaranteed Blacks the same treatment as whites in certain public places.
• Civil Rights Act of 1957 established a Civil Rights Commission (CRC) to protect individuals’ rights to equal protection and permitted courts to grant injunction in support of the CRC.
• Civil Rights Act of 1960 established federal inspection of local voter registration rolls.
• Civil Rights of 1964 was a landmark law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
• On November 27, 1963, addressing the Congress and the nation for the first time as president, Lyndon Baines Johnson called for passage of the Civil Rights bill as a monument to the fallen John Kennedy, who had been the first president since Harry Truman to champion equal rights for black Americans.
• On February 10, 1964, the House of Representatives passed the measure by a lopsided 290-130 vote, but everyone knew that the real battle would be in the Senate, whose rules had allowed southerners in the past to mount filibusters that had effectively killed nearly all civil rights legislation.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 36 APPENDIX: Civil Rights Acts
• But Johnson pulled every string he knew, and had the civil rights leaders mount a massive lobbying campaign, including inundating the Capitol with religious leaders of all faiths and colors.
• The strategy paid off, and in June, the Senate voted to close debate; a few weeks later, it passed the most important piece of civil rights legislation in the nation’s history, and on July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed it into law.
• Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
• Civil Rights Act of 1991 provided for the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims and introduced the possibility of emotional distress damages, while limiting the amount that a jury could award.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 37 APPENDIX
Shreiner Concord Cemetery
“ I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural preference for solitude; but finding other cemeteries limited as to race, by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his Creator.” —Thaddeus Stevens’ Epitaph
Introduction
The James Street Improvement District (JSID) has researched various elements of the Shreiner Concord Cemetery to begin to tell the story of this small yet significant historical burial ground in the Northwestern quarter of Lancaster City. Prior to the research completed by the JSID, little was known about the cemetery that contains the gravesite of the prominent politician and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens. The JSID’s research focused on the role of the cemetery, background on Martin Shreiner, Sr., and occupants of the cemetery, including Thaddeus Stevens. A special thank you to the Lancaster County Historical Society, the Franklin and Marshall College Archives, the Shreiner Concord Cemetery Foundation, and members of the community who have provided information, documents, and connections.
The Shreiner Concord Cemetery, established in 1836, has the potential to be a real gem in the City of Lancaster for the neighborhood and as an important educational tool for residents and visitors. Measuring only 130 by 260 feet and located at the corner of West Chestnut Street and North Mulberry Street, it houses one of Lancaster’s most famous politicians, Thaddeus Stevens. The prominence of the cemetery results both from the mere fact that Stevens is buried there and due to his decision to write as his epitaph (above) the specificity in his choice of cemeteries and the suggestion that this cemetery held unique characteristics in its day.
It has become common knowledge that the charter states that all people were welcome to be buried, with the exception of those who took their own life, despite not having the original document for proof. This openness is what sets this cemetery apart from other larger
Source: James Street Improvement District
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 38 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Introduction, continued cemeteries such as Lancaster Cemetery (est. 1846) and Woodward Hill Cemetery (est. 1849), located in Lancaster City at the time (Rineer 236). Shreiner Concord Cemetery also was unique as it was the first in Lancaster to be independent of the church, allowing all people, regardless of religion or race to have an opportunity to be buried among their peers.
Life and Times in the late 1800s
The setting in Lancaster in the 1800s was one of change. The community was growing as more people were drawn to the city. In Lancaster, there had been many attempts to help educate not only the rich youth but also the poor. In 1822, the Lancastrian Schools Act was put into effect which provided equal opportunity for poor, orphans, and children with indigent parents to get the same education as those with money (Ellis and Evans 407). This was an important point in Lancaster’s history as the people began to be educated more generally and were beginning to advance themselves in business, bringing increased wealth into the city. In addition to education, societies started to exist to group together some of those who worked in similar professions. The earliest ones were the Lancaster Polemic Society in 1805 and the Mechanics’ Society in 1831 (Ellis and Evans 435). These organizations began to unite people who were of different cultural and religious backgrounds. The church was another way to bring the community together. Much of life during this time focused around the church. This aspect of the community in Lancaster is what makes Shreiner Concord Cemetery interesting, as it did not involve the church directly.
The 1800s were a time of new production and industry. Lancaster housed three main industries: cotton mills, locomotive work, and watchmaking. These industries required labor with many of the common men in Lancaster taking jobs working in the factories. David Longnecker (1772–1848) is influential to the cotton mill industry and is buried in the Shreiner Concord Cemetery. Also, Martin Shreiner, Sr. was a key contributor in the watchmaking industry (see next page). Societies, the church, and other community groups brought all types of people together. While it is impossible to trace the intersections of people during this time, it is likely these social groups formed some of the connections between the families buried in Shreiner Concord Cemetery.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 39 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Martin Shreiner, Sr., cemetery owner/founder
Martin Shreiner, Sr. was born and died in Lancaster City. He was a clockmaker and a fire engine maker by trade, but his contributions to Lancaster are broader. In 1795, he changed his name from Schreiner to Shreiner in an attempt to drop his German roots and become more Americanized (Wood 120). Shreiner established the cemetery under the name Concord Cemetery in 1836 as a way for his daughters to earn money after his death (Shreiner Will). The cemetery was to be controlled by his daughters and executors, and after all of their deaths, three people were to be elected to continue the upkeep of the property. In his will, Shreiner, Sr. also states that he established the cemetery as an “ornament to the city” (Shreiner Will).
Martin Shreiner was a well-known clockmaker in Lancaster. As an apprentice to one of Lancaster’s first clockmakers, John Eberman, he created a name for himself. Shreiner’s popularity in Lancaster began to grow as he created some of the most elaborate signatures on the faces of the clocks. In 1829, Shreiner was elected as the Director of the Poor under the Anti-Masonic ticket. This post gave him some important political power in Lancaster City (Worner 1).
Shreiner’s profession changed from clockmaking to building fire engines, further increasing his popularity in the community. His role as a member of the Active Fire Company and the American Fire Engine and Hose Company increased his market for his engines. As Martin Shreiner, Sr. shifted away from clockmaking, he passed along the company to his sons, Phillip and Martin, Jr. Before his death, it is noted that he sold at least five engines throughout Lancaster County. At his death in 1866, the inventory of his estate placed his assets at about $24,000 (Wood 123). In today’s dollars, Shreiner’s assets would be about $2.6 million (Williamson 2006). To honor his successes, the name of the cemetery was changed to Shreiner’s Cemetery at his death. For the Shreiner family, the cemetery became a family cemetery with 20 members of Martin Shreiner, Sr.’s family buried there.
Martin Shreiner, Sr. is considered to be one of the pioneers of the clockmaking industry with his work still considered to be of the highest quality. In 2002, one of his tallcase clocks was auctioned for $9,600 (Copake Auction). In addition, a clock that he made in 1810 resides at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 40 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Shreiner Concord Cemetery had its first burial January 13, 1836, for Mary Fritz, daughter of Christian and Catherine Fritz. An additional 116 people were buried between that first burial and Martin Shreiner, Sr.’s burial there in 1866. The most recent burial is Laura Gauler Heltzle on April 2, 1993. The total number of burials in the cemetery is 396. Martin Shreiner, Sr. kept the cemetery records from 1836 until his death in 1866. From there, his daughter Elizabeth Eichelberger took over the bookkeeping until 1878. The bookkeeping was passed on to Charles M. Gibbs and Henry M. Shreiner, who controlled the records until 1916, this date being the last known records kept for the cemetery. Henry M. Shreiner was the grandson of Martin Shreiner, Sr. and Charles M. Gibbs had bought a plot in the cemetery but is not buried there himself.
Most of the people buried in the cemetery were of modest backgrounds and means. They held jobs such as carpenters, cabinetmakers, innkeepers, and laborers (U.S. Census Records). These jobs provided the core of American life and a cataloging of the cemetery reflects individuals making up the mainstream of Lancaster’s community in the mid 1800s.
Given Stevens’ epitaph indicating the cemetery was open to all, a major question relates to the demographic make-up of the deceased. Burial records indicate a total number of four African Americans interred in the cemetery. Prior to the death of Thaddeus Stevens, one person of African American descent was buried in the cemetery. According to the cemetery burial records, the four African Americans are:
• Mary Jackson, age 50, buried by her son, John W. Jackson, in 1849.
• John W. Jackson, born September 1816, died May 14, 1885.
• Johnathan Sweeney, born 1832, died 1915 and a veteran of the Civil War.
• Matilda Sweeney, born 1860, died 1911.
These four African Americans demonstrate the cemetery’s open charter and Shreiner’s desire to allow all people to be buried in his cemetery. It is important to note that information on the African Americans is not clear, as some notes differ from what is found in the cemetery. For example, the cemetery records show that an African
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 41 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Shreiner Concord Cemetery, continued
American woman, Susan Wright, was buried in 1911, but there is no record of her in Worner’s cemetery listing nor is her headstone visible in the cemetery.
There are also veterans of both the War of 1812 and the Civil War buried in the cemetery. Historical records indicate 31 veterans buried there but only 26 veteran markers exist. It is possible that people may have removed these markers as a collectible item, or that, like the gravestones, they have not held up over time and have deteriorated or sunk into the ground.
Thaddeus Stevens, prominent Lancaster politician and abolitionist
The Honorable Thaddeus Stevens came to Lancaster in 1842. Prior to his arrival, he had spent time in Gettysburg, PA, and his home state of Vermont. After graduating from Dartmouth College, Stevens’ career bloomed in Gettysburg as he established himself as a powerful and skillful lawyer. Prior to moving to Lancaster, he was elected to the State Legislature in 1833 under the Anti-Mason ticket. He was then elected to Congress in 1848 and was continuously elected until his death in 1868 as a Lancaster resident. Stevens’ legacy is his work on the issues of emancipation and equality. He followed the philosophy of the Declaration of Independence and because of his strongly-held views, some perceived him as the answer to America’s problems, while others saw him as the reason for aggression. His significant work in the State Legislature helped to establish free schooling in Pennsylvania to help all people, not only the rich. In his will, he left $50,000 to establish a school for the homeless and orphans, illustrating his strong desire to help the poor. As he became an active member of the community, he also became known as the “Great Commoner.” This title followed him throughout his life as he remained true to his goals of equality. In addition to his education policies, Stevens worked towards emancipation of slaves and was an active member of the Underground Railroad. At the opening of Lancaster Cemetery, in 1846, Stevens bought two plots. But years later, he read through the plots’ paperwork and discovered that African Americans were not allowed to be buried in the cemetery. He then sold those plots and bought two plots at Woodward Hill Cemetery. There he found a similar clause, excluding
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 42 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Thaddeus Stevens, prominent Lancaster politician and abolitionist, continued
African Americans from the cemetery and sold back the land. At this point, Stevens located Shreiner’s Cemetery and, in 1867, bought two plots (NY Times, July 9, 1867). He died the following year and his inscription on his tombstone is a good summary of the morals and values that he followed throughout his life, “I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural preference for solitude; but finding other cemeteries limited as to race, by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life, equality of man before his Creator” (Stevens’ tombstone). Thaddeus Stevens’ funeral, held on August 17, 1868, was said to have 20,000 in attendance, including half being of African American descent. The Daily Evening Express had full coverage of the events that took place at the funeral. It is quoted as saying, “Rarely has anyone been consigned to the tomb whose death caused more sincere sorrow among his immediate fellow citizens, among the loyal millions of the country, and among the lovers of Freedom everywhere than he whose final departed from the scenes of the earth we now record” (Daily Evening Press, August 18, 1868). Prior to his burial, Stevens’ coffin lay in the Capital Rotunda in Washington. His death was considered to have a similar air of grief as Lincoln’s death in 1865. At the funeral, Rev. Dr. J. Isidor Mombert, then the rector of St. James’s Protestant Episcopal Church, gave the eulogy. There he discussed all of Stevens’ greatest accomplishments and restated the desire for Stevens to be buried among all of God’s creatures (Daily Evening Press, August 18, 1868). With all members of the community there, including his fire company, Shiffler Fire Company #7, Stevens was remembered as one of Lancaster’s greatest men.
Thaddeus Stevens’ connection to the Shreiner Concord Cemetery appears only in his desire to be buried in a cemetery where all were welcomed, and not necessarily because of any personal relationship with Martin Shreiner, Sr. The two, however, lived at the same time in the same town and were buried just two years apart.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 43 APPENDIX: Shreiner Concord Cemetery
Conclusion
The cemetery now is in fair condition thanks to the commitment of a small group of concerned neighbors and citizens. Still, given its historical significance, there is a compelling reason to restore the tombstones and make the small site an attractive, educational oasis. With tombstones fallen, removed, or just under the ground, it is hard to know for sure who exactly remains in the cemetery and who has been removed. The cemetery records show that many people buried earlier in the cemetery’s history have been removed and reburied. But the history of this small urban cemetery shows the way that men were working towards equality even before the beginning of the Civil War. It is hard to know if this is exactly what Martin Shreiner, Sr. had envisioned when he established the cemetery, but 171 years later, the cemetery tells a unique tale about life in Lancaster City in the mid 1800s.
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau | QUEST FOR FREEDOM: LANCASTER COUNTY | 10/24/06 | 44