Composed of neither trains nor tracks, the Underground Railroad was the network of people —Black, white, Native American, wealthy and poor, men and women — who assisted African Americans escape the institution of slavery in the 19th century. By helping enslaved Blacks find safe passage to the Northeast, the Midwest, and to Canada, these individuals participated in a dangerous but important act of civil disobedience. Thus, the existence of the Underground Railroad was enabled by both the courageousness of the enslaved who risked their lives to find freedom and the selflessness of the men and women who helped them complete their difficult journeys (Pettus 2016).
The National Park Service defines the Underground Railroad as "resistance to enslavement through escape and flight through the end of the civil war" as well as "efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage."
If the museum is open during your tour, visit the permanent Underground Railroad exhibit inside! Find out more about BAM and their hours in the link below.
Built in 1810 and often referred to as the Linn House in local histories, the building that currently houses the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County was once a residential property, serving as a home to several prominent residents in the 19th and 20th centuries. During those many years of domesticity, the house acquired a rich history, one that includes a connection to the Underground Railroad.
Both Mary Benner Wilson, who lived in the home during the 1840s, and Jacob Valentine Thomas, who occupied the residence in the 1850s and was the son of William A. Thomas, are believed to have been active in the Underground Railroad during the years they resided in the Linn home. Adding credence to such claims is the existence of a hidden crawl space located on the building’s third floor, a compartment that purportedly concealed escaped slaves who were en route to Canada. Although we likely will never know the names of the African Americans who found refuge in this “secret room,” the brutalities carried out on the plantations from which they fled and the difficulties they faced while escaping those sites of terror are thoroughly documented. Consequently, after learning of the room’s existence [from oral histories of local residents], museum staff thought that it was only appropriate to welcome the Bellefonte community to stand witness to the fortitude of the individuals who endured the unimaginable to find freedom for themselves and for their loved ones (Pettus 2016).
Pettus, Mudiwa. "Underground Railroad: A Journey to Freedom." The Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County. 2016.
"The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom." NPS. 2018. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm
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