The Underground Railroad and Gwynedd Monthly Meeting

by James A. Quinn, Historian, Gwynedd Friends Meeting
With the end of the Revolutionary War, Pennsylvania provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in the state. As soon as the war ended Quakers and Free Blacks began to illegally assist runaway slaves escape north to freedom. This network was very small at first, but from 1830 on grew rapidly. About 100,000 slaves escaped bondage through southeast Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey before the Civil War. This large number made slavery nearly untenable in Delaware, Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
The Underground Railroad was active in the areas served by all four Preparative Meetings that were part of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting: Plymouth, Gwynedd, Norristown and Providence. The activities were not officially part of the meeting and there were Quakers who didn't approve of this illegal activity. However, since thousands of slaves were moved by the underground railroad through central Montgomery County, and no slaves were caught in the remote farm country, all the neighborhood kept the secret.
Slaves coming through central Montgomery County mostly crossed over the Schuylkill River from Chester County, often crossing into Providence township. There were many famous conductors involved in the more dangerous work in Chester County, which because it was on the border was more likely to have trouble with slave catchers. Names like Thomas Garrett, Bartholomew Fussell and the Lewis sisters are well documented in William Still's book The Underground Railroad which is available on-line. From Chester County they may have stopped at Providence (Charles Corson had an elaborate secret tunnel under his barn), or be sent to Plymouth which had many conductors including brothers of Charles Corson, or to the Lukens farm in Towamencin, or across the county to Richland in Bucks County where Richard Moore ran a major stop. From Richland, the slaves could be sent east to New Jersey or north to Catawissa or to Lycoming County and from there to Upstate New York and Canada.
At right is the Lukens home in Towamencin township near the old Union Church. George Lukens ran an Underground Railroad operation from this home starting about 1819. Hundreds of slaves passed through this farm. This picture was taken about 1900.
After George Lukens died in 1849, his son Seth took over the farm and continued the Underground Railroad operation there. He was aided by his two brothers-in law, Dr. James Hamer of Providence who was the brother of Seth's wife, Mary and by Charles Todd Jenkins of Montgomery township who was married to Seth's sister Sarah. George and Seth Lukens and C. Todd Jenkins are buried at Gwynedd Friends Meeting.
James Hamer, left Charles Todd Jenkins, at right
If Lukens' farm was part of the secret operation of the Underground Railroad, Quakers at Plymouth ran its public face. Besides running a stop on the Railroad, George Corson built Abolition Hall on his property which was the meeting place for the anti-slavery movement (the second floor of the building pictured at right - still standing today on Butler Pike, near the intersection with Bethlehem Pike). Many famous abolitionists visited George Corson including Frederick Douglass. Because it was public knowledge, slave catchers did prowl the neighborhood of Plymouth and it was more dangerous than the Lukens' home. Still, after the Chrisitanna incident in 1851 which resulted in the death of the slave master, the free black man who led the armed resistance named Edward Parker, escaped through Plymouth. Other members of Plymouth Meeting were also involved in the Underground Railroad including George's brother Dr. Hiram Corson. Before the Corsons, Ezra Comfort and Peter Dager were involved since the 1820s at least.
Dr. Hiram Corson (left)
Norristown Meeting itself was used as an Underground Railroad stop and the members of that Meeting obviously were active.

The Foulke mansion at Pennlyn in Lower Gwynedd was said to be another Underground Railroad stop and the school teacher Joseph Foulke wrote an abolitionist tract. It was torn down in the 1980s.