On September 23, Delaware County Councilman Kevin Madden presented a resolution at Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) to DCHS Executive Director Laurie Grant recognizing September as International Underground Railroad Month.
The month of September has been recognized in many states and by the National Park Service as International Underground Railroad Month, a time set aside to commemorate and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role that the Underground Railroad Network served in the fight for freedom. September was chosen because it was the month that two of the most well-known freedom seekers and Underground Railroad operatives, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery.
Delaware County is home to many historic homes, halls, mills, and farms that were vital parts of the Underground Railroad network that helped enslaved people escape from bondage. The County was home to untold numbers of men and women, including abolitionists and formerly enslaved persons, who risked their own freedom to help freedom seekers escape bondage.
Delaware County is also home to the Historic Eden Cemetery, in Collingdale, the burial site of many freedom seekers and abolitionists with connections to the Underground Railroad including Henrietta Duterte, James Forten, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Stephen Smith, William Still "Father of the Underground Railroad" and William Whipper.
The resolution also coincided with the official 1860 Lincoln Banner Unveiling & Open House for Friends of DCHS. Learn more about the Lincoln Banner.
