WEST CHESTER, PA (June 12, 2024) – The Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway Commission is delighted to announce the completion of a website for the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (www.harriettubmanbywaypa.com). As the only new Byway in Pennsylvania in decades, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway was officially designated in 2022 to tell the important story of the Underground Railroad in Chester County, located “just over the line,” from states that allowed enslavement. In addition to commemorating the manifest courage of Harriet Tubman and her important work, the website also encompasses ten very moving stories about the Underground Railroad in Chester County prior to the Civil War and features key locations related to the Underground Railroad in the area.
According to Rich Phifer, Chair of the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway Commission, the new website is a big step forward in promoting the significance of the Tubman Byway and Chester County’s legacy in the Underground Railroad. Accessing the website, every resident of Chester County can learn something new about how courageous residents in their own backyard were part of the effort to assist hundreds of enslaved people. “You come to realize,” Mr. Phifer said, “that Chester County played a very significant role in the lives of thousands of freedom seekers as they sought to escape bondage. I highly recommend that anyone interested in our area and local history check out the Tubman Byway website and then visit sites that are of interest. There is so much to learn and see!”
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway in Pennsylvania is managed by the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway Commission, made up of a coalition of the townships through which the Byway passes, that also manages the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway. The new website was made possible in part through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Marketing to Attract Tourists grant program. Technical support and development of the website was provided by the National Travel Center of Lancaster, PA.
* The PENNSYLVANIA BYWAYS logo is and remains the intellectual property of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
and is being used with the express written permission of the Department of Transportation.
In view of the increasing demand for heritage and cultural tourism in the United States, where visitors want to learn the authentic stories of the places they visit, Pennsylvania and Chester County have an opportunity to elevate the profile of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway and its story in the eyes of the nation. According to Dr. Maree Forbes Gaughan, Managing Director of the National Travel Center, the website will ultimately also serve as the information point for the Underground Railroad Heritage Interpretive Trail currently being developed by the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway Commission and Chester County PA 250 Path to Freedom to reveal the comprehensive collection of locations related to the Underground Railroad throughout Chester County in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. “The trail will further emphasize the importance of the Underground Railroad in Chester County and the magnitude of the activity that took place “just over the line” in Pennsylvania.”
For additional information, contact Rich Phifer at 610-436-5108, ext. 108, or send an e-mail to rphifer@eastbradford.org. Visit the website at: https://www.harriettubmanbywaypa.com.
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