TEHS Meeting: Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Chester County In-Person
Mark Lanyon is the author of Abolition & the Underground Railroad in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His book captures the rich history of antislavery activity that transformed Chester County into a vital region in the nation's fight for freedom. He will talk about his book and related subjects and will be signing books after the lecture.
Chester County was home to a diverse patchwork of religious communities, antislavery activists, and free Black populations, all working to end the blight of slavery during the Civil War era. Kennett Square was known as the "hotbed of abolitionism," with more Underground Railroad stations than anywhere else in the nation. Reverend John Miller Dickey and the Hinsonville community under the leadership of James Ralston Amos and Thomas Henry Amos founded the Ashmun Institute, later renamed Lincoln University, the nation's oldest degree-granting Historically Black College and University.
The county's myriad Quaker communities fostered strong abolitionist sentiment and a robust pool of activists aiding runaway slaves on their road to emancipation.
This is a Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society Event, in partnership with Easttown Library.