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Focus of Investigation In 1999, three History graduate students at Millersville University chose to investigate the people, places, and processes of the Underground Railroad in York County, Pennsylvania. Using local newspaper articles, resources at the York County Historical Society, online slave narratives, the advice and experiences of nearby Lancaster County Underground Railroad investigators, and their own notions and intuitions about how fugitves moved through the county, Jeff Mummert, Jay Vasellas, and Kevin Webster expected to come to concrete conclusions about this specific topic in York County history.
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Criticisms of the Approach The concentration of the investigators on the possible hiding places of the fugitive slaves in York County does not effectively convey the complexity of the process of "hiding." At a time when fugitive slaves were described in wanted advertisements mostly by the clothes that they were wearing near the time of escape, a change of clothes could offer considerable security. A fugitive could possibly "hide" in "plain sight." Relying on the "hidey hole" as evidence of Underground Railroad activity degrades the creativity and intelligence of the fugitive primarily, but also of the stationmaster or conductor, and quite possibly the organization of the Underground Railroad itself. Strange, dark places in old homes have many other possible explanations of their uses. The German meat cellars in the Olde York Valley Inn and the Buttonwood Tree House are most likely two common meat cellars. It is interesting to note that during the building of the web site, the investigators saw the existence of two so similar "hidey holes" as an Underground Railroad pattern rather than a culturally unique and practical way to keep and smoke meats in South Central Pennsylvania.
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Immediate Results After spending considerable time in choosing eight locations in York County that showed the most promise as actual stations on the Underground Railroad, Jeff and Jay traveled to each location, took photographs, and interviewed location property owners whenever possible. The evidence gathered was compiled and organized geographically in a web site, The Underground Railroad in York County, Pennsylvania. The web site was used repeatedly in eighth, eleventh, and twelve grade classes, as well as in undergraduate history classes as both local content on the Underground Railroad and as an example of historical investigation. After introducing the site in several educator workshops at Millersville University, some teachers from York and Lancaster Counties used the site for activities in a wide range of K-12 classrooms. A few York City teachers use the site as a source of information for William Goodridge in particular.
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Objective Intentions ... Subjective Results However, as the original investigators participated in workshops on the Underground Railroad at Millersville University, traveled to sites in Columbia, Christiana, and Lancaster (all in Lancaster County), and revisited some York County sites (William Goodridge House and Willis House) with other experts such as Dr. Bernard Herman and Dr. Tracey Weis, it became clear that the York County investigation was based on some beliefs that can be questioned. For example, the investigators focused their efforts on locating "stations" run by "stationmasters" or "conductors" and most notably those sites that had "hidey holes." In some cases, the hiding places overshadow other important information on the web site. Examples on the site are the pages on the William Goodridge House, the Buttonwood Tree House, the Olde York Valley Inn, and the Elmwood Mansion. The citizens of York County (and it would be supposed, many other people not directly involved in the study of the Underground Railroad) are similarly fixated on old houses that have curious spaces where it could be presumed fugitives were once hidden.
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What's Next? The remaining members of the original team, Jeff and Jay, continue to present their work at Millersville University educator workshops as well as in their secondary and college classrooms. Discussions with educators and continuing experiences in collaboration with Underground Railroad investigators from nearby locales are helping to redirect the focus of the York County investigators. Present plans include an overhaul of The Underground Railroad in York County, Pennsylvania site to reflect new research and include a wider range of lesson plans and activities. In particular, the site will provide links and explanations of the connection between the experiences of fugitives in York County and the experiences of fugitives in nearby Lancaster, Dauphin, and Cumberland Counties.
Student Activities
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