On the Edge of Freedom: The Fugitive Slave Issue in South Central Pennsylvania, 1820-1870

This groundbreaking Civil War history illuminates the unique development of antislavery sentiment in the border region of south central Pennsylvania.

During the antebellum decades every single fugitive slave escaping by land east of the Appalachian Mountains had to pass through south central Pennsylvania, where they faced both significant opportunities and substantial risks. While the hundreds of fugitives traveling through Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties were aided by an effectiv...