The morning call., 1890-06-22
THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD.
How Runaway Slaves Were As
sisted to Liberty.
Philanthropic ouakers Who Baflsd the
Slave-Hunters = Some Historic
Stations
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL.

that period, and is understood to mean that
secret process by which runaway slaves
were helped along to Canada or other for
eign countries. But just what that secret
was, or where the underground railroad
was, long remained mystery to the outside
world. Now, any one who takes the trouble
to inquire may readily learn all about it. If
he really wants to know, his best plan
would be to come to Chester County, Pa,
and make himself familiar with the beauti-
full Chester Valley and vicinity.
The famous valley extends northeast from
the neighborhood of the Susquehanna River
to the Schuylkill. striking the latter at Val
ley Forge. The whole region is rich in
Revolutionary history-St. Peters Church,
the Warren tavern and the Paoli are not
inclosed by long, blue-veiled ridges gen.
orally known as North and South Valley
Hills, which are in reality the first ranges
of the Allegheny Mountain system in Penn
sylvania. This valley, stretching so many
miles to the northeast, seemed route
marked ont by nature for an easy passage
from Maryland to New England.
ONE OF THE STATIONS.
Phenixville is on the Schuylkill River,
twenty-eight miles from Philadelphia and
three miles from Valley Forge. About half
way between Valley Forge and Ph9nixvile
still stands picturesque old farmhouse,
which was long one Of the stations on
the Underground Railroad. This was in
habted for many years by Elijah Penny
packer, philanthropic Quaker and ardent
abolitiDnist. He died but short time ago
at the age of so.
This Station is one of the best known,
as the wealth and social standing of Elijah
Pennypacker, as well as his genuine vir-
tues and beautiful old age, long rendered
him an object of interest to all classes But
the whole valley, as well as the neighbour
ing hills, was dotted with similar stations.
many of which, necessarily from the secret
nature of the traffic over the road" escaped
similar fame,
The phrase underground railroad
originated in this way: Runaway slaves
from Maryland. Virginia and elsewhere
would make their way to Columbia, Pa.
Many were tracked so far but never any
further. Slave-hunters invariably found
themselves baffled at this point. At last
one exclaimed in despair, There must be
an underground railroad somewherei" and
as we would say in these days, the ex-
preston took" Near Columbia is little
patch of woodland filled with rocks and
running streams. A fugitive negro was led
backward and forward, around these
rocks and over these streams, so that if
dogs were used to track him the scent
would be broken.
PLACES OF REFUGE.
The underground railroad" was really
series of Stations" These were mostly
farm-houses inhabited chiefly by Quakers.
who believed i'll resisting evil by peaceable
means. The fugitive had before his attempt
to escape been quietly told by his friends
that he would be helped if he could reach
one of certain houses in Columbia. Ar
rived at Columbia he always found safe
place. Here he was hidden until under
cover of nightfall he could be conveyed to
the next station, and so on. From Column
bia the next important point was kimber-
ton, in the upper part of Chester County,
about five miles from Phenixville. From
Pb9nixville the road proceeded to Norris
town and Conshohocken, and thence some
timest0 Philadelphia, but more commonly
northeast to Bristol or Trenton.
kmberton is one of the stations that
have become famous. 1t is a romantic viii
lage, situated among the lovely hills of
Plkeland. near Chester Springs, which, as
place Of summer resort, once rivaled Sara
toga. Klmberton was named from 'Friend
kImber," who was one OF the first to intro
duce into Pennsylvania that startling innO-
walton, higher education for women"
The building which he erected as girls
boarding school still stands. Near by is
his old-time residence, the underground
station" Friend Kimber's daughter Ger
trude married the noted aboltiOnist and
vegetarian, Charles {. Burleigh
Another station near KimbertOn, which
also became famous, was the homestead of
the Lewis family. A survivor of this fam
lily is Miss Grace Anna Lewis, one of the
most distinguished Of American natuIalists
and the leading authority on American
birds. Miss Lewis did not take up scientific
studies until late in life. She could tell us
that her early days were spent in practical
philanthropy. Thousands of poor wander
ers found in her fathers hospitabe man.
sion every possible S0lace for wearied body
and mind. But all this never became known
to the general public until recent years.
On one occasion a neighbor remarked in
Miss Grace's hearing that there used
to be great deal of hiding niggers about
here, but it isn't much done now" At the
same time Miss Lewis knew that there
were no less than eleven colored persons
concealed in and about her own home.
RECORDED IN HISTORY.
When Elijah Pennypacker received his
living consignment from kimberton, he
generally drove to COnshohOcken the follow
Ing night. The people of the neighborhood
were used to seeing his big, covered Dear
born wagon frequently crossing and re-
crossing the SchuylkIll bridge at Pawling,
just above Valley Forge. So used, indeed,
that they thought nothing about it. But
now it has become recorded in history that
that big wagon carried thousands of dis
tressed human beings on their way to lib
erty.
Near Conshohocken was the home Of the
Corson family, race noted alike for philan-
thropy and culture. DR.. Hiram Corson of
Cornell University is known wherever the
English language is spoken, as one of the
ablest OF American critics. His uncle, the
elder DR.. Hiram Corson, was the first
physician in the United States to take
a woman as a student, that woman
being his niece, Miss Sarah Adam
son, now known as Dr. Sarah Dolley
mother of Professor Dolley of the Univer-
eity nf PENNSYLVANIA DnZpnS nf tho lv
have attained distinction in various ways,
but all were in advance of their time in
their righteous passion for human liberty.
The COrsOns erected hall for holding
abolition meetings at time when they had
reason to expect that their windows would
be broken, even If their houses were not
burned over their heads. This hall is now
used as studio by the famous painter,
Thomas Hovenden, who married Miss
Helen Corson. 1t seems singnlarly appro-
Execution of John Brown" should have
been painted here with younger Corsons as
models for soldiers.
From the Susquehanna to the Schuykill-
this imaginary line was the underground
railroad" now no more. The necessity or
the occasion for it has long since passed
away. We are accustomed to say that the
Civil War destroyed it all. So it did, of
course, but these majestic, sapphire bed
hills. this jade-tinted, lake-lke valley, this
glitterlng, wood-frinSed river-all might
give us many interesting chapters of that
mighty moral struggle, extending far back
years before any open blows were struck.
The history of the underground railroad is
as much part of the history of our country
as the history of any colony or settlement
and this celebrated revolutionary locality is
none the less part of the battle-ground of
our last great conflict. NJ. b. III.
Prince of Wales Feathers.
The tradition is that the Black Prince,