Feb. 27, 1999
By LORETTA RODGERS
Delaware County Daily Times Correspondent
Reprinted By Permission

When Anna and Jordan Moat travel to Virginia, they don't take I-95.

Instead, they take the more scenic route down Old Route 13, along the river, through Delaware into Maryland.

"I can almost see them running along the river hiding in the bushes and behind trees," said Anna. "They are cold, tired and frightened. At times I feel as though I want to get out and help them. That is how real it seems to me."

Anna, who was born and raised in Delaware County and serves as the chief historian of the Honey Comb UAME Church in Middletown, is referring to her realistic vision of runaway slaves fleeing the bondage of the south, risking their lives to be free.

Traveling generally during the winter, by cover of darkness, either by boat, wagon, or on foot, fugitive slaves from the early part of the 19th century through the end of the civil war made their way to freedom via a loosely organized network of secret hiding places, known as the Underground Railroad.

Though the desired and more utilized route of passage in this region was through Chester County, documented evidence does exist that shows Underground Railroad way stations were operating in Delaware County.

The significance of Delaware County's participation in the Underground Railroad lies in the nature of its location.

In the mid-19th century, Delaware was a slave state, even though it was the only southern state where a black was considered free unless he or she was proven to be a slave.

For most fugitive slaves, crossing the line into Delaware County was the first time in generations that a member of their families experienced life without slavery.

The Black Moses

Local historians believe that Harriet Tubman, the most well-known Underground Railroad conductor, made numerous trips through the state of Delaware, up Route 13, after her own daring escape from bondage in 1849.

In ill health, and with a $40,000 bounty on her head, the "Black Moses" as she was called, returned to the south 19 times, leading more than 300 slaves to freedom.

"We do believe that Harriet Tubman led slaves through Delaware County on her way to Philadelphia," said Nancy Webster, former Senior Planner with the Delaware County Planning Department. "It is probable that she traveled through Concord Township up to Logtown (now Chester Heights) and on to Middletown Township where a large free-black community thrived."

The existence of a free-black district usually indicated great underground network activity, and Middletown Township during the mid-19th century, was no exception.

Regular folk pitch in to help

One of America's most profound and effective protests against the institution of slavery, the Underground Railroad is believed to have successfully assisted tens of thousands of slaves on the dangerous path to freedom.

Groups including free blacks, Quakers, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Jews and Coventanters as well as simple, ordinary citizens who opened their homes and provided shelter, food and clothing to the fugitives. These quiet, unassuming citizens risked their lives and the lives of their families to help individuals whom they had never met. If caught, the Underground Railroad conductor ran the risk of immediate loss of property as well as a fine totalling up to $1,000.

One such conductor was James Pennell, a highly respected farmer and mill owner. There's documented evidence that proves Pennell aided fugitive slaves at his home, which stood on Valley Road in Wawa until it was razed in 1995.

"James Pennell was a major-league conductor," said Middletown Historical Society founding member Leslie Potter. In a dairy Pennell kept, he described the many slaves he helped get to the next stop on the Underground Railroad - Minshall Painter's farm, now the Tyler Arboretum.

Secret code books found

Anna Moat has similar stories to tell. Runaway slaves were harbored by the Honey Comb UAME Church in Middletown Township.

The meticulously-kept yellow church, built in 1852, rests at the end of a long driveway on Van Leer and Barren roads and according to church documents, was a main stop on the Underground Railroad.

Secret code books in the attic of the church detail things like the harboring of slaves and illegal land purchases by blacks. At the time, blacks could not own property. Its suspected that the church and others "bought" land in name only, while the black owners lived there and worked the land.

The books are written in beautiful script, yet the code hasn't been broken - even after all these years, Moat said.

"Our Aunt Lyde Moat, who died at the age of 103, even on her death bed, would not reveal the code," said Moat. "We asked her several times to tell us what was written there, but she always refused. It was as though, for some reason she was still frightened to tell something that could get someone into trouble."

The runaways

As a spy for the confederate army, Will Spradley had more freedom than most blacks at the time. Though he could go for hours, even days, without contact, he was still considered "property" by his souther bosses.

One day, Spradley and two other slaves walked off to scout the area and never returned. They hooked up with the underground railroad and wound up at the Honey Comb UAME Church in Middletown. There, they were hidden and moved after nightfall to the Pennell Farm.

Not much is known about the two other slaves, but Spradley remained at the Pennell Farm for years. James Pennell's daughter taught Spradley how to read and write, Moat says.

Eventually Spradley met a local girl, got married and went on to become the Honey Comb Church's secretary for some 60 years.

Sites across the county

Although not a hub of the anti-slavery movement, Concord Township also was home to safe houses for fugitive slaves.

In Robert P. Case and Virginia Denenno's book on the history of the township titled, "Progress and Prosperity in the 19th Century," Bethel Road farmer Isaac Williams is identified as a willing participant who opened his home to runaway slaves.

Entering through a remote cellar door, the fugitives would stay an average of 24 hours and then move by nightfall to their next destination.

In a Sept. 4, 1979, taped interview, Media resident Mary Clark, an African-American slave descendant, recalled stories of slaves who died of illness and exhaustion at the Williams home and are buried in unmarked graves in the side yard alongside Williams family members.

The Williams home stands today, restored by present owners David and Leslie Berkeyheiser, who hope to locate the graves and provide suitable markers.

The Charles Peters House on North Thornton Road in Concord Township is also an identified stop on the Underground Railroad, and features a tunnel running from the main house to a smaller structure at the rear of the property which is believed to have harbored fugitive slaves.

The city of Chester played a significant role in the transporting of slaves. Due to its proximity to the Delaware River and various other waterways, slaves, aided by free-black watermen were routinely hidden on departing boats and barges.

"During that time, Chester was a busy port and for that reason was closely watched by bounty hunters," said Nancy Webster. "It was not out of the ordinary for the bounty hunters to spend their days at the docks asking questions about runaways."

The desired mode of travel and unquestionably the safest method of escape was on the water. Unfortunately, due to constant surveillance by slave hunters, other routes of escape were more frequently used.

Among those were routes through Newtown Square and Havertown as well as the existence of safe houses in Darby and Upper Darby.

Letters written by well-known Wilmington, Del. abolitionist Thomas Garrett to his brother Edward in Upper Darby discussing the harboring of fugitive slaves are kept at the Sellers Library in Upper Darby, a much-studied and recognized Underground Railroad Stop.

Main Street in Darby holds the distinction of having the most sites in operation in one area. Way Stations existed at the Bunting Freedom House, Quaker Meeting House, and the Fearne Mansion, where according to Darby Historical and Preservation Society member Lindy Wardell, fugitive slaves made candles.

Stories of common, every-day citizens helping runaway slaves also abound in Delaware County.

Kitty's room

In 1990, when Ed and Carol Kulesa decided to forego modern living in their 1969 bi-level and purchase the oldest house in Aston Township, they were told the old home possessed a rich history. It was not until several years later when visited by decedents of former owners did they learn the significance of the property they had bought.

The 1684 stone, three-story house, which is located approximately 75 feet off Tryens Road was owned during the mid- to late-19th century by English Quakers named George and MaLady "Mother" McCracken, who like most Quakers of the time, were abolitionists.

Legend has it that the McCrackens harbored a runaway slave known simply as "Kitty" in their home, disguised as a house servant. One afternoon, without warning, slave hunters arrived at the property on a tip that Kitty was living there.

Kitty escaped capture by slipping through a trap door onto a outside roof leading to a remote summer kitchen. Never found by the bounty hunters, Kitty spent her remaining days with the McCracken family.

"Stories like this need to be told and preserved," said Kulesa, who serves as the president of the Aston Historical Society. "Kitty and her room are now part of my family's history."

Search continues

Tracing the underground railroad is an arduous task. Due to the clandestine nature of the operation, records were not kept. Therefore, very little primary source material or documentation of sites exist.

In addition, a number of suspected stops have been destroyed or simply left to disintegrate over the years.

Myths and legend abound when researching the trackless train. Stories have been passed down from generation to generation about familial heroism in aiding fugitive slaves. Therefore it is probable for sites to exist that have yet to be located or documented.

This has been but a brief overview of underground railroad activities in Delaware County. Local historians continue to study and documents evidence that - someday - may be complete.

Loretta Rodgers