TO THE READER

The contents of this book hearken back to an age when freedom was not an assumption, but a privilege. When it came to the dichotomy of slavery and abolitionism, the events that unfolded in South Central Pennsylvania were a unique reflection of national progress. From the beginning, I believed that this project offered a chance to tell a national story through local history. I confined my area of focus to the four present-day counties of Cumberland, Franklin, Adams and York. I did so because the four counties compose a geographically unique area—bounded on the west by the Appalachian Mountains and the east by the Susquehanna River. These features would prove crucial both in the longevity of slavery in the region and its later distinction as a hot spot on the Underground Railroad. This is not to discount the valuable and interconnected roles played by Harrisburg, Columbia, Lancaster and other towns east of the river, which have been explored more thoroughly than the counties to the west in existing literature.

Many people have kindly and generously assisted me during the course of this project. They include Craig and Sharon Caba, Carl Dickson, John Heiser, Walter Meshaka, the staffs of the many archives and repositories I have visited and my parents. Without their collective contributions, this book would not have been possible. That said, there remains much left untold about the story of slavery and abolitionism in South Central Pennsylvania, and I hope this volume spurs even more interest and discoveries.

—Cooper H. Wingert

October 31, 2015