South Jersey's Underground Railroad History
As early as the mid-18th century, slavery was already a
divisive issue. South Jersey's Quaker population continued
to grow and Quaker Meeting Houses, many of which still
stand, often became centers for anti-slavery activities.
John Woolman, a Quaker tailor from Mt. Holly, launched the
first formal abolitionist activities in 1754 and set the
stage for the creation of New Jersey's Underground Railroad.
A century later, the nation was on the verge of war,
threatening to tear the Union asunder. Under cover of night,
Peter Mott, a free
African-American, hid escaped slaves in his home in
Lawnside, the nation's
only African-American incorporated community.
Despite the odds and conflict, the abolitionist movement
thrived and the region's rich African-American heritage is
preserved in some surprising sites.
The
Burlington Pharmacy, the state's
oldest continually-operating apothecary, located on High
Street, was once owned by an abolitionist Quaker and the
tunnels in the basement are thought to be hiding places for
escaped slaves.
Built in 1741, the haymow in the barn at
Croft Farm in Cherry Hill was often occupied by runaways headed for a
safe home. Although the original barn no longer stands,
tours of the house can be arranged. Although the
Salem home of the Goodwin sisters is now a
private residence, it once was one of New Jersey's most
active stations on the Underground Railroad. Through their
abolitionist activities, Abigail and her sister Elizabeth,
both Quakers, became friends with Harriet Tubman, William
Still and other well-known opponents of slavery.
Not surprisingly, a number of the region's churches spirited
escaped slaves through their doors on their road to freedom.
During the 1840's, Reverend Thomas Clement Oliver, perhaps
New Jersey's most active Underground Railroad operative, was
the pastor of the
Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church in Camden,
the city's oldest African American institution. A few miles
away in Woolwich Township, the congregation of
Mount Zion A.M.E. Church also put their own lives on the
line, sneaking slaves into a secret trap door in the
vestibule to hide beneath the church.
Both those who escaped and those who helped them have left a
proud legacy of courage that survives today.
Pictured: Peter Mott House, Lawnside
Courtesy South Jersey Tourism Corporation
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