Philadelphia's Underground Railroad Sites

Vizite Filadelfi^® has published a detailed guide for visitors and residents interested in exploring the Philadelphia region’s many connections to the Underground Railroad. The six-panel brochure catalogs historical attractions (the Liberty Bell Center, Mother Bethel A.M.E., Belmont Mansion, Johnson House, Fair Hill burial ground), historical markers (London Coffee House, Free African Society and homes of Cyrus Bustill, Frances E.W. Harper, Robert Purvis, William Still, William Whipper) and city and regional libraries, archives and tours.

Featured Sites:

The brochure is available at the Independence Visitor Center, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Johnson House in historic Germantown and more. It is also available online at: visitphilly.com/underground-railroad-in-philadelphia. Here is a look at some of the public sites featured in the brochure and one new addition* that will be added upon the next publication:

1. Liberty Bell Center: Home to the famous Bell, a symbol adopted by abolitionist societies in the 1830s and later by freedom seekers around the world. 6^tyè & Market Streets, nps.gov/inde
2. President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation: Memorial site of the home where President George Washington lived and enslaved nine Africans, including Oney Judge, who escaped bondage. 6^tyè & Market Streets, nps.gov/inde
3. Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church: The active flagship of the nation’s first African-American denomination, where fugitive enslaved people sought refuge, and Harriet Tubman, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass and William Still spoke from the pulpit. 6^tyè & Lombard Streets, motherbethel.org/church.php
4. Historic St. George’s United Methodist Church: House of worship where, in 1874, the Reverends Richard Allen and Absalom Jones became the first licensed African-American Methodist ministers, and 1787, led a walkout over the church’s discriminatory seating policy. 235 N. 4^tyè Street, historicstgeorges.org
5. Belmont Mansion: Built by William Peters in 1742 and later home to his son, Judge Richard Peters, who purchased and indentured slaves, allowing some to buy their freedom, and who allowed other fugitives who were escaping slavery to hide in the mansion’s attic and cellar; Underground Railroad Museum on site. 2000 Belmont Mansion Drive, Fairmount Park, belmontmansion.org
6. Historic Fair Hill: Circa 1703 Quaker burial ground, the final resting place of Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis and other leaders in the abolition and early women’s rights movements; now also an environmental education center surrounded by murals portraying 300 years of social justice in Philadelphia. 2901 Germantown Avenue, historicfairhill.com
7. Johnson House: The well-preserved home of Quakers Samuel and Jennett Johnson, who took in and cared for escaped enslaved Africans in the 1800s. 6306 Germantown Avenue, johnsonhouse.org
8. Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Repository of hundreds of printed items, manuscripts and graphic items relating to the abolitionist movement, including a handwritten journal of William Still, known as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” 1300 Locust Street, hsp.org
9. Bibliyotèk Company of Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin-founded organization with a 13,000-piece African-Americana Collection that includes documents and books about slavery and abolitionism. 1314 Locust Street, librarycompany.org
10. Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University: Library with narratives by and about Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, first editions by Phillis Wheatley, W.E.B. DuBois, William Still and m Sullivan Hall, 1300 W. Berks Street, library/temple.edu/collections/blockson
11. Chester County Historical Society: Home to unique artifacts and manuscripts that convey the county’s role in the history of abolition and the Underground Railroad. 225 High Street, West Chester, chestercohistorical.org
12. Kennett Underground Railroad Center: Chester County base for tours of Underground Railroad sites that depart from Brandywine Valley Tourism Information Center. 300 Greenwood Road, Kennett Square, kennettundergroundrr.org
13. National Archives at Philadelphia: Northeast Philadelphia site for researching ancestry of people who lived in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. 14700 Townsend Road, archives.gov/philadelphia
14. *Bucks County Underground Railroad Trail: A miles-long, drive-able trail spanning taverns, churches, private residences and a waterfront memorial to Harriet Tubman (150 Basin Park, Bristol) to trace escaped Africans’ possible paths as they sought refuge to the north. visitbuckscounty.com

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