Cooper Wingert, historian and author of 10 books about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad, will present Slavery and the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania, Sunday, September 22, 2:00 p.m., at the American Philatelic Society, Bellefonte.
Wingert’s first book, The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg, won the James I. Robertson Jr. Award in 2012. He also has published a seminal article in The Journal of American History—the leading academic journal in the field—on northern resistance to laws mandating the return of fugitive slaves to southern owners. A scholar completing his Ph.D. in history at Georgetown University, Wingert serves as Assistant Director of the National Park Service project titled “Slave Stampedes on the Southern Borderlands.”
Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania is an illustrated talk based on Wingert’s book which shows how the region became a battleground in the fight against slavery. Freedom seekers journeying through the state connected with free Black communities and white allies willing to shelter and assist them. Runaways and antislavery activists employed legal maneuvers, and sometimes violence, to resist slave catchers and undermine federal fugitive slave laws. Based on new archival research, the talk illuminates how the Underground Railroad consisted of white and Black people whose actions were more open than many think, and whose legacies continue to have an impact today.
Books can be purchased online for pick up the day of the event or at the Centre Furnace Mansion, there are limited copies available.
Please note that this program will be held in Sundman Hall at the American Philatelic Society, located at 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte.
This program is part of the Henszey-Pyle Distinguished Author Series underwritten by the Anne Hamilton Henszey Pyle and Kenneth B. Pyle Educational Fund for Regional Heritage Preservation (Henszey-Pyle Fund.)