The Underground Railroad in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

This tour was designed to provide an accurate and educational self-guided tour of Underground Railroad and Black history in Bellefonte, Pa. This project is an initiative by the Leadership Centre County (LCC) Junto group, Centre Servers (Class of 2022), in collaboration with Local Historia.

In the Press:

• The Daily Collegian
• WPSU | By Kristine Allen 

Starting with the Bellefonte Art Museum, the tour stops are organized (numbered 1-7) in the recommended order for taking the tour (walk or drive the tour at your own pace). Participants of this tour should remain in public spaces/areas and take full responsibility for their own safety and actions. 

Note: The Underground Railroad is not limited to physical houses and structures, but is rather a network of people who operated in the context of often unpredictable circumstances.  It is also important to know that all of the "Stops" on this tour are NOT documented "Sites" on the Underground Railroad; however, each stop was chosen because of their connections to Underground Railroad history in Bellefonte, Pa. For example, the Centre County Courthouse is not considered a documented Underground Railroad site, but when freedom seekers were captured as "runaway slaves," they were remanded into slavery within that very Courthouse (see the 1826 Bellefonte Patriot at Stop #2). When walking and/or driving this tour, your safety is your own responsibility. 

While this tour focuses on Bellefonte, additional features and locations across Centre County are envisioned for the future. All sources are provided at the bottom. Scroll down to begin your journey! 

Please Contact Us with any feedback, questions, or comments to improve this tour/website.

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).

Continue your self-guided tour!  

203 E. Howard Street, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

The Samuel Harris House is at the corner of Penn and Howard Streets. The home was built circa 1830 for Samuel Harris, a cabinetmaker, and his wife Nancy Petrikin Petrikin Harris. Nancy was the aunt of Benjamin Rush Petrikin, one of the earliest recorded abolitionists in Centre County (Linn 1883, 372). Harris also served in the War of 1812.

According to homeowner Candace Dannaker, the home has been long associated with locals as a station on the Underground and that it has a hidden room on the third floor that was used to hide freedom seekers when needed. Candace researched the Underground Railroad and her home extensively and also found records of free Blacks living or working with the Harris family at different times.

Oral histories have also come directly from relatives of Samuel Harris, his niece Margaret Harris Cook. Margaret came from Loyalsock (born 1810) near Williamsport in Lycoming Co. and traveled on a canal boat down to Bellefonte to marry William Cook.  William was a wheelwright and coachmaker and was in business as Ammerman and Cook.

Margaret passed down the story of a freedom seeker who came to the Harris home for help one day. According to a relative of Margaret Harris Cook, the home had a large cauldron for boiling and washing clothes and a  “runaway slave” came to her back door and she hid him behind the large cauldron, just as the slave catchers were knocking on her door.  She answered her front door and they said to her "Good day madam.  We hate to disturb you but have you seen any runaway slave cross this threshold/doorstep?"  And my great grandmother, being a good Christian woman, could not tell a lie. She replied, "Why no sir, no runaway slave has crossed this doorstep."

A testament to the role that Bellefonte played in helping freedom seekers achieve and maintain their freedom is the story of Henry Thomas. Having escaped slavery in either Maryland or Virginia, Thomas gained employment at The Pennsylvania Hotel, now the Brockerhoff House at 105 S. Allegheny Street. That’s where he was working in 1856 when two disguised Southern agents came into the hotel and asked Thomas for help with directions. Thomas agreed and went along to aid them on their ride through the Halfmoon Valley. But unbeknownst to Thomas, the pair were really sent to hunt and capture "runaway slaves," which was legal under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and return them to the South. Thomas was bound with cords and put in the carriage as the pair headed off in the direction of Huntingdon. This is where Andrew Curtin, whose statue stands in front of the courthouse in the middle of Bellefonte, comes into play. 

Curtin, who became governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War, was at the time a lawyer and had just returned to Bellefonte from a case. When Curtin was alerted by locals about what had happened to Thomas, he gathered a posse of men “of his own sentiments” (Mills 1909) and dashed off from the Pennsylvania Hotel in pursuit of Henry and the kidnappers. While they were unsuccessful in retrieving Thomas, this story speaks to the dangerous reach of slavery, even in a town with support for the Underground Railroad. This story also reveals the character of Curtin, who, as Pennsylvania governor from 1861-67, raised troops to defend the Union and was a key ally to President Lincoln. We know about this story, thanks, in part, to the writings of William H. Mills, who owned a barber shop on West High Street in the 1870s. Scroll down to learn more about the Mills family. 

Mills was a child at that time, but his father, Lewis Mills, and uncle, Edward Mills, were among the roughly 180,000 to 200,000 Black soldiers – including more than 8,600 from Pennsylvania – who fought in the Civil War, thanks to President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which opened the door for them to enlist in the Union Army. Lewis and Edward Mills were members of the 6th United States Colored Infantry (USCT), which saw action in places like Richmond and New Market Heights, Virginia. At the top of their regimental flag that they carried into battle was their "Freedom For All" motto. Black soldiers, however, didn’t always get the recognition they deserved. 

The Black soldiers were denied participation in the two-day-long grand parade in May 1865 in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the war’s end. In response to being left out, the Equal Rights League helped organize more than 7,000 veterans to march in the Grand Review of U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) in Harrisburg on Nov. 14, 1865. In 2010 — 145 years later, residents of Bellefonte and in towns across Pennsylvania held reviews in honor of Black soldiers who represented Pennsylvania in the Civil War. Black soldiers who fought from Centre County are honored alongside all of the approximately 3,800 Centre County veterans whose names are etched upon the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial.

Sources:

Boyer, Lauren. “Forgotten no longer: Black Civil War troops recognized in Bellefonte Grand Review ceremony.” Centre Daily Times (State College, PA), Nov. 15, 2010.  

Henderson, Steward. "The Role of the USCT in the Civil War." American Battlefield Trust. Updated March 25, 2021. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/role-usct-civil-war 

William H. Mills had a barbershop, once located near the present-day Governors Pub. Much of what we know about the Underground Railroad in Bellefonte is because of the life and writings of William H. Mills. Mills was born in Bellefonte in 1847 and learned the barbering trade from Mesh S. Graham, a member of the Bellefonte chapter of the Equal Rights League (Democratic Watchman 1865). Mills started his own shop in 1871 and continued in his trade for 60 years. In 1872, he is said to have cut the hair of Frederick Douglass, famed abolitionist and founder of the Equal Rights League, while he was in town on a speaking series. Douglass spoke at Reynolds Hall on March 5, 1872 (download the speech below). Mills was a leading member of the A.M.E. Church and was “instrumental in the organization of the Negro [sic] Masonic Lodge” (Democratic Watchman 1931). The Lodge was next to his barber shop. Along with other concerned citizens, Mills successfully petitioned the local school board to desegregate Bellefonte schools in 1885. William H. Mills also sang with local Jubilee Singers, a heritage that passed on to his grandchildren. His grandchildren went on to form the jazz/pop quartet The Mills Brothers, which was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Learn more about The Mills Brothers here: "The Mills Brothers Trace Roots to Bellefonte." by Daniel Clemson. 

Use the sidewalk and extra caution for traffic as you climb Halfmoon hill toward St. Paul Street.

According to the Mills Brothers Society (2001), St. Paul A.M.E. Church was the “cultural hub of the black community” and has been located here since 1859 on land donated by Quaker William A. Thomas. Thomas was mentioned at the Bellefonte Art Museum site, and will be further discussed at your next tour stop. The original frame church was destroyed by fire in February of 1909 and the present edifice was built in 1910.

You've also learned about William H. Mills along this tour. Mills also served as church secretary and was eventually certified to preach in the A.M.E. Church. After the fire in 1909, Mills set out to write a history of the A.M.E. Church and help fundraise for the construction of the present church. Mills wrote “A Brief History of the Origin and Organization of the A.M.E. Church of Bellefonte, Pa.," published November 8th, 1909. According to Mills, “after making diligent search for papers or records, I was unable to find any, as everything in the shape of records had been lost long before the writer had become identified with the church in March, 1881. I then resolved to make some inquiry of some of the oldest and most responsible colored citizens as to the early organization of the A.M.E. church here. The following information was given to me by the following persons, according to their memory, namely: Meshic Graham, Mariah Green, Margaret Powell and Tamazine McDonnel" Such memories, written by the hand of William H. Mills, not only share the history of the church, but shed light on "what was known in those days as the 'under-ground, railroad'” (Mills 1909, 5).

Mills also wrote a biographical sketch of another member of the A.M.E. Church, the Rev. Isaiah H. Welch, A.M.E. Scholar and founder and president of Wayman Institute, Kentucky. The inspiring story of Isaiah Welch also connects to the Underground Railroad in Bellefonte. Isaiah Welch was born in Maryland in 1845 and brought to Bellefonte as an infant with his parents on the Underground Railroad, where they "were concealed by the family of Mr. William A. Thomas" (Mills 1910). 

As a child, Isaiah Welch worked as a "house boy" [sic] for Andrew Gregg Curtin. Curtin became governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Isaiah longed to educate himself and went to Wilberforce University in 1861. In 1863, "Isaiah's patriotism prompted him to answer the nation's call for colored troops" (Mills 1910), and he enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers (USCT). He then transferred to the 55th, serving for two years and five months, and engaged in the storming of Fort Wagner and the capture of Charleston, South Carolina. Welch was wounded twice and rose to the rank of First Sargent. Welch also played a leading role in the 54th and 55th protests for equal pay in October 1864. After mustering out in 1865, he resumed his studies at Wilberforce University. Welch went on to become founder and president of Wayman Institute in Harrodsburg, Kentucky (in the Kentucky Conference of the A.M.E. Church). When the fire destroyed the original A.M.E. Church in Bellefonte, Welch sent donations for its reconstruction and visited Bellefonte, perhaps for the last time, in 1910.

Centre Servers dedicate this site in honor of Rev. Dr. Donna King for her tremendous contribution to the research on the abolitionist movement in Bellefonte, Centre County, and walking tours of the Underground Railroad stops in Central Pennsylvania. Popularly known as Mama King, Dr. King was a mother, public historian, pastor, mentor, teacher, cancer advocate, community activist, and lecturer in African American Studies at Penn State University. She served as pastor of what residents of Centre County  call the incredible "church on the hill" – St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Church, which played a significant role in the Underground Railroad after its establishment in 1859. Mama King felt the elders before her time handed the AME church for  her to keep the doors open and its legacy alive. Hence she conducted walking tours to share remarkable historical knowledge of the Underground Railroad.

Scroll down for the next stop...

While the Gamble Mill is not a documented "site" on the Underground Railroad (as it was built in 1893), the area is nonetheless connected to UGRR history because of William A. Thomas.

William A. Thomas is a name you may have already read on this tour because he donated the land for the A.M.E. Church. Thomas also sheltered the parents of Isaiah Welch when he was brought to Bellefonte as an infant. This stop of the tour brings you to the Gamble Mill area because Thomas once owned a mill on this very location (known then as the Thomas Mill) and lived in his home nearby (known as the "Wren's Nest"). He also owned a sawmill along the mill race, too. As you see in the writings of Mills below, William A. Thomas and his wife Eliza were active conductors on the Underground Railroad in Bellefonte. Their son, Jacob Valentine Thomas, aided in the UGRR at the Bellefonte Art Museum site, as well. William H. Mills made a point to speak about the Thomases in his history of the A.M.E. Church (Mills 1909): 

“Dear reader, at this juncture I shall have to ask your pardon and kind indulgence for this digression, as I feel deeply impressed to speak of the humane character of Mr. Thomas, which I feel sure is yet unknown; especially to many of the young people of our race and generation. Mr. William A. Thomas, as I have mentioned, was a member of the Society of Friends and also a bitter opponent to human slavery, like hundreds of other grand and noble men and women identified with the same Society of Friends. So strong was the sympathy of Mr. Thomas and his estimable companion, Mrs. Eliza Thomas, toward the fugitive slaves that their own fine private residence often afforded a shelter and hiding place for many men, women and children fleeing from the cruel hand of slavery to a land of freedom" (Mills 1909, 4).

“One other special act of kindness of Mr. Thomas, which is a further proof of his sincere friendship to the men and women of our race, was the purchasing the freedom of Mr. John Williams, his wife, Mary Williams, and their son, Isaac. Uncle John, as he was called by every one who knew him, was an honest, upright man, of which the writer can attest… John Williams was employed by Mr. Thomas as a sawyer on the old mill that stood on the site of the present F. W. Crider mill, at the time his freedom was purchased by Mr. Thomas, and by his energy, thrift and economy succeeded in saving enough of his earnings to refund the purchase money to Mr. Thomas for his kind and friendly act” (Mills 1909, 4-5).  

“Mr. Thomas deeded to the A.M.E. society the lot upon which the present church edifice has been erected, and which is to be retained by the A.M.E. church as long as religious services are conducted by them in this edifice” (Mills 1909, 4).

These are just a few examples of the role that the Thomases and other Quaker families played in the Underground Railroad in Centre County. 

Like other towns and regions across Pennsylvania, Bellefonte has a history linked to the Underground Railroad — but why and how?      

Geography is a factor that brought freedom seekers along routes and transportation links through central Pennsylvania. By 1821, the Philadelphia to Erie Turnpike ran through Centre County and would have been a major thoroughfare of people, goods, and ideas during the 19th century (Linn 1883, 446). The "trail to freedom" from Harrisburg to Bellefonte followed the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers to Mifflintown, onward to Lewistown, and then to Milroy. Each of these stations had Underground Railroad agents along the way to help freedom seekers. From Milroy the trail followed the old Kishacoquillas Path over Seven Mountains into Bellefonte (Switala 2001, 114). From Bellefonte routes continued westward to Philipsburg, Clearfield and beyond (26). Scholars have also connected Centre County to the Jefferson Route which "extended from Maryland through Bedford and Altoona into Centre County before heading to various points north and west" (Clemson and Hannegan 2008). 

In addition, between 1820 and 1840, the Black population of the Bellefonte borough more than tripled and accounted for close to 11% of the local population (2008). This number would have been proportionally higher than Philadelphia during the same period. By 1860, half of Centre County's Black population was living in Bellefonte. Among other industries and skilled crafts, the iron industry was a major pull factor that contributed to the Black population in Centre County (2008). 

Lastly, there was a local population of abolitionists, such as Quakers (Society of Friends), who also played a role in assisting freedom seekers in their escape from slavery. As you will see on the tour, the home of William A. Thomas (a Quaker and ironmaster) is one of the documented Underground Railroad sites in Bellefonte.     

The following sources were used within the above tapintohistory.net tour:

African American 'Footprints' in the Sands of Bellefonte History. Walking Tour Pamphlet designed and produced by The Mills Brothers Society for its 2001 International Convention held in Bellefonte, PA. (Copy available at the Centre County Library & Historical Museum). 

"African Methodist Espiscopal Church." Democratic Watchman (Bellefonte, PA). June 7, 1895. https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031981/1895-06-07/ed-1/seq-6/

Bellefonte Republican (Bellefonte, Pa.). March 13, 1872. Frederick Douglass lectured at Reynolds Hall on March 5, 1872.

Boyer, Lauren. “Forgotten no longer: Black Civil War troops recognized in Bellefonte Grand Review ceremony.” Centre Daily Times (State College, PA), Nov. 15, 2010. 

"Centre County and the Civil War." Centre County Historical Society. Aug. 12, 2021. https://centrehistory.org/centre-county-and-the-civil-war/

"Civil War." Centre County Historical Society. March 22, 2022.

https://centrehistory.org/article/civil-war/

Clemson, Daniel, and Susan Hannegan. Underground Railroad Activity in Bellefonte, PA. 2008. 

Clemson, Daniel. "The Mills Brothers Trace Roots to Bellefonte." Pennsylvania Heritage. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Winter 2012. http://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/mills-brothers-trace-roots-to-bellefonte/

Gov. Andrew Curtin, PA. , None. [Between 1855 and 1865] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017895737/.  

Henderson, Steward. "The Role of the USCT in the Civil War." American Battlefield Trust. Updated March 25, 2021. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/role-usct-civil-war

Linn, John B. History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1883.

Mills, William H. “A Brief History of the Origin and Organization of the A.M.E. Church, Bellefonte, Pa.” 1909.

"Mills." Democratic Watchman (Bellefonte, Pa.). July 24, 1931. 

Mills, William H. "Interesting Sketch of a Former Citizen: How Rev. Isaiah Welch Rose from Obscurity. Born in Darkest Slavery. Was Brought to Bellefonte in Infancy and Worked on Farm, Longed for Education and Secured It, Now a Minister of the Gospel." Centre Democrat (Bellefonte, Pa.). Dec. 8, 1910. 

Pettus, Mudiwa. "Underground Railroad: A Journey to Freedom." The Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County. 2016.

Richings. G. F. An Album of Negro Educators. Philadelphia: 1900.

Switala, William J. Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.

"The Equal Rights League." Democratic Watchman (Bellefonte, Pa.). Nov. 24, 1865. 

https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031981/1865-11-24/ed-1/seq-3/ 

"The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom." NPS, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm

"The School Question." Bellefonte Republican (Bellefonte, Pa.). Sept. 17, 1885.

Walling, Henry Francis. Centre County Tilden Map: Bellefonte, Spring [Township]. 1861. Scale [1:3,960]. 20 rods to an inch. S.D. Tilden. https://digital.libraries.psu.edu/digital/collection/1861map/id/18/rec/2