Blairsville Area Underground Railroad
Website:
www.undergroundrailroadblairsvillepa.com
Telephone Number:
Location:
214 South East Lane, Blairsville, PA 15717
Hours:
Mondays 5 PM to 8 PM
Wednesdays 5 PM to 8 PM
Saturdays 9 AM to 12 PM
Or by appointment
Description:
The Underground Railroad History Center is located at 214 S. East Lane in Blairsville. It is housed in the former Second Baptist Church Building which in itself is historic. Built in 1917, it is the oldest African American church in Blairsville.
Blairsville's location along the Conemaugh River at the southern edge of Indiana County provided many opportunities for growth. From its beginning in the early 1800s, the town benefited from road, canal and railroad traffic. Many of the people who settled in the area had strict religious convictions and they became a strong force in the Underground Railroad movement.
In those days, the bounty hunters tracking the freedom seekers often made comments about how swiftly the runaways moved and were able to disappear. It was almost as if they had an underground railroad. The various methods used by abolitionists to hide and move the freedom seekers made their pursuers is now referred to as the Underground Railroad.
Records were seldom kept due to the severe fines and threats of jail terms that accompanied anyone found guilty of breaking the law. At that time, the law forbid aiding and abetting any enslaved person trying to reach freedom in Canada.
From museum’s website
