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What was the underground railroad?
What was the underground railroad?
The Underground Railroad was a network of people, African American as well as white, offering shelter and aid to escaped slaves from the South. It developed as a "system" of several different efforts by groups and individuals across the eastern United States. It operated from the late 18th century through the Civil War and even beyond to undermine the slaveholding and anti african american policies and sentiments.
Richard Moore and the underground railroad in Quakertown
Richard Moore and the underground railroad in Quakertown
"Well known Underground Railroad stationmaster, Richard Moore, came to Quakertown in 1813. By the 1830's, after Moore had assumed ownership of the Penrose Pottery on South Main Street, escaped slaves sought refuge and assistance here from the benevolent local population. By the Civil War, over 600 escaped slaves had passed through the Quakertown Station on their way to freedom. Some of them stayed here. Local historians and readers of the "Upper Bucks Free Press" are familiar with the story of Henry Franklin. A more detailed bio-sketch of Franklin can be found in "A Sketch of Henry Franklin and Family', Collins Printing House, Phila, 1887", Quakertown's own, Dr. Robert L. Leight's book "Richard Moore and the Underground Railroad at Quakertown" or in the "UBFP" archives. Henry Franklin (slave name Bill Budd), is the first local African-American of whom we have substantial documentation.
Henry Franklin was born in Maryland in 1803. His father, Jared Budd, was an enslaved carriage driver for Francis Scott Key, of Maryland. When freed by Key, Jared moved, first to Ohio, then to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Franklin's mother, who belonged to a different 'master,' soon joined her husband. On a visit to his parents in 1837, Bill Budd 'escaped' and followed the established Underground Railroad routes to Quakertown, where he decided to stay.
The U.S. Constitution permitted bounty hunters to cross into Free States to recapture lost 'property'. Richard Moore believed Budd would be safe in Quakertown and gave him a job and a place to stay. Budd changed his name to Henry Franklin and drove pottery wagons for Moore for over seven years, frequently transporting other escaped slaves. Franklin's fiancée, Anne Brooks--also of Maryland--soon joined him and they were married in Quakertown. Franklin eventually built a house, which still stands on Main Street. Jared Budd and his wife also relocated to Richland, changed their names to Franklin, too, and opened a broom making business.
According to Richard Moore, Henry Franklin "faithfully performed his various duties. [He] was always the right man at the right place. His integrity, intelligence and courteous bearing won the confidence and regard of all with whom he mingled and did more to break down prejudice against color in the adjoining country than any other influence." It is unusual to hear of a black man living prior to the Civil War who was 'judged for the content of his character, rather than by the color of his skin.'
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