Origins of the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County

An 1824 map of Wrightsville (York County, left) and Columbia (Lancaster County, right).
An 1824 map of Wrightsville (York County, left) and Columbia (Lancaster County, right).

Visit historic sites in Lancaster County to learn about some of the earliest episodes of anti-slavery resistance in America. These spontaneous uprisings against slavery evolved into organized efforts, daring escapes, and legal challenges, culminating into a movement known as “The Underground Railroad.” Today, the Underground Railroad is noted by historians as the first mass movement of civil disobedience since the Revolutionary War, and America’s first racially-integrated and religiously-inspired civil rights movement.

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom logoIn 2019, LancasterHistory was designated as a Facility within the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a program of the National Park Service which recognizes sites, facilities, and programs which have a verifiable connection to the Underground Railroad. In particular, LancasterHistory’s Research Center holds primary and secondary source materials about the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County. LancasterHistory’s Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site on the corner of S. Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster is also a Site on the Network to Freedom.

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Private Tours     |      About Your Tour Guide     |     Health & Safety, Accessibility, and Technology

 

Private Tour Options

LancasterHistory is proud to offer private tours of Underground Railroad sites, called Origins of the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County (OUGRR) guided tours. Our private group tours give you and your group exclusive, one-on-one time with your tour guide. Private tours are individually scheduled on a mutually agreed upon date and time and are priced per person.

We currently offer two different private tour experiences. Please click the dropdowns below to read about each tour type.

Thaddeus Stevens' Lancaster City [2 Hour Tour Option]

Beginning at LancasterHistory, attendees will receive a brief orientation about the Underground Railroad, illustrated with maps and posters. After the orientation, the tour continues with a short, one-mile drive into downtown Lancaster City with cellphone communication between up to two vehicles. The guide and attendees will park their vehicles and walk throughout a three-square block area of the historic City of Lancaster's downtown area.

Sites include:

  • Shreiner Concord Cemetery, the location of the grave and monument of US Congressman Thaddeus Stevens;
  • The Fulton Theatre, built on the foundations of the old Lancaster County jail where two formerly enslaved women daringly escaped in 1835;
  • Penn Square, to discuss physical transportation and transportation networks as pathways of the Underground Railroad movement;
  • The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site, a safe house of the Underground Railroad; and
  • Site of the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad, a pathway of the Underground Railroad.

Tour Length & Size

This tour lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours, and is a combination of a walking and driving tour. The tour is perfect for small groups of 5-10 people, but can be adjusted for larger groups such as buses. The minimum group size to reserve is 5 individuals.

During the driving part of the tour, your tour guide will create a call between up to two additional vehicles. (Vehicles and cellphones must be supplied by attendees, not LancasterHistory.)

For groups larger than 10 persons who may have access to a van, moderate size motor coach or large motor coaches and are interested in booking this tour option, please contact Randy Harris to discuss options for a variety of tour routes, pricing and other accommodations.

Health & Safety and Accessibility

Please view the section below on the webpage to read about these requirements or policies.

Pricing

To inquire about pricing, please fill out our Group Tour Information Request form or contact ugrr@lancasterhistory.org.

A minimum notice of two weeks is required to book a private tour. A deposit is required at time of booking to secure a tour's date and time. The remaining balance is due one week out from tour date. More details are supplied in our booking contract.

Reservations

This tour option is available to book on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays by advance reservations only. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance. Less notice is subject to LancasterHistory's availability and discretion.

Those interested in booking this tour option should contact ugrr@lancasterhistory.org or by calling (717) 392-4633, ext. 131.

How to Prepare For The Tour

We recommend tour attendees:

  • Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and footwear;
  • Bring a properly fitting face mask or covering (required, regardless of vaccination status, for those 2+ years or older);
  • Bring at least one cellphone;
  • Be prepared to pay for on-street parking; and
  • A camera or notebook for note taken (at your leisure).
From the Susquehanna to the City: Traveling on the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County [4 Hour Tour Option]

Beginning at the Mifflin House in Wrightsville, PA (York County), attendees will receive a brief orientation about the Underground Railroad, illustrated with maps and posters. After the orientation, the tour continues with excursions to other sites associated with the Underground Railroad with a cellphone or PA system narration between vehicles. Upon reaching the City of Lancaster, the guide and attendees will park their vehicles and walk throughout a three-square block area of the historic City of Lancaster's downtown area.

Sites include:

  • The Mifflin House, one of the oldest safehouses in the United States;
  • Zion Hill Cemetery, the burial site of many African American Underground Railroad agents and members of the US Colored Troops;
  • Shreiner Concord Cemetery, the location of the grave and monument of US Congressman Thaddeus Stevens; and
  • The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site, a safe house of the Underground Railroad.

Other custom routes or starting points available. Please call to discuss.

Tour Length & Size

This tour lasts 3 - 4 hours, and is a combination of a walking and driving tour. The tour is perfect for groups of 5 - 10 individuals, but can be adjusted for larger groups such as buses. The minimum size to reserve a tour is 5 individuals.

During the driving part of the tour, your tour guide will create a call between up to two additional vehicles. (Vehicles and cellphones must be supplied by attendees, not LancasterHistory.) For bus or motor coach vehicles, the guide will ride on the bus and use the on-board PA system to speak.

For groups larger than 10 persons who may have access to a van, moderate size motor coach or large motor coaches and are interested in booking this tour option, please contact Randy Harris to discuss options for a variety of tour routes, pricing and other accommodations.

Health & Safety and Accessibility

Please view the section below on the webpage to read about these requirements or policies.

Pricing

To inquire about pricing, please fill out our Group Tour Information Request form or contact ugrr@lancasterhistory.org.

A minimum notice of two weeks is required to book a private tour. A deposit is required at time of booking to secure a tour's date and time. The remaining balance is due one week out from tour date. More details are supplied in our booking contract.

Reservations

This tour option is available to book on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays by advance reservations only. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance. Less notice is subject to LancasterHistory's availability and discretion.

Those interested in booking this tour option should contact ugrr@lancasterhistory.org or by calling (717) 392-4633, ext. 131.

How to Prepare For The Tour

We recommend tour attendees:

  • Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and footwear;
  • Bring a properly fitting face mask or covering (required, regardless of vaccination status, for those 2+ years or older);
  • Bring at least one cellphone;
  • Be prepared to pay for on-street parking; and
  • A camera or notebook for note taken (at your leisure).

Want more information or ready to book your private tour? 

Submit a Group Tour Inquiry

You can also contact LancasterHistory at (717) 392-4633, ext. 131 or email ugrr@lancasterhistory.org.

Please Note: Submitting a group tour inquiry does not mean your tour has been scheduled. Please await a response from a LancasterHistory staff member to answer your questions or work with you on scheduling your group tour.
 

About Your Tour Guide

Randy Harris
Randy Harris
Research & Community Outreach
Ext. 131

A native of western Pennsylvania’s Monongahela Valley, Randy Harris has worked for more than 25 years on projects and initiatives focused on community revitalization through the preservation and the reuse of historic buildings, creation of heritage tourism sites and programs, and other sustainable land use practices.

Trained as a journalist and communications specialist, Randy served as a newspaper reporter, editor, and photographer before working for the Pittsburgh Area Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After moving to Lancaster in the mid-90s, Randy served as the Executive Director of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County before becoming an independent consulting historian in 2002. Since 2003, Randy has helped 20 heritage sites become official sites in the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, the nation’s official listing of authentic resources associated with the Underground Railroad.

Randy is still very active in the historic preservation community as well as numerous historical organizations in the Lancaster area. He continues to give tours about the Underground Railroad and work on projects focused on African American heritage in the southcentral Pennsylvania region.

Health & Safety, Accessibility, and Technology

LancasterHistory strives to maintain as safe an environment as possible so that tour attendees can enjoy and get the most out of their experience. Please note the following:

COVID-19

The risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in every public space where people are present. COVID-19 is a serious, contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and even death. Senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions are particular vulnerable. By attending a tour or program facilitated by LancasterHistory, you voluntarily assume all risks of exposure to COVID-19.

Tour attendees and their guide are required to follow LancasterHistory’s Health & Safety Policies for Visitors regarding COVID-19. We recommend consulting this document prior to your tour for the most up-to-date information.

Accessibility

To see or access some historic sites, participants may need to stand or walk for a period of time. Those who do not wish to venture out of their vehicle will receive similar interpretation of the site from the vehicles or bus. Service animals are welcome. If you have any accessibility concerns or requests, please contact LancasterHistory at ugrr@lancasterhistory.org.

Technology

For tours with personal vehicles, cellphones are used to facilitate the narration of the tour between vehicles. Up to two personal vehicles will follow the guide in his own vehicle, and all vehicles will be connected via cellphone. (Four to five passengers per vehicle is preferable.) Tour attendees are responsible for their own vehicles and cellphones. For motor coaches, the tour guide will need to utilize an on-board PA system.