The Providence Friends Meeting in Media, Pennsylvania, is among 31 new listings added by the National Park Service to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. The new listings join more than 800 sites, facilities and programs already in the network that provide insight into the diverse experiences of freedom seekers who bravely escaped slavery and allies who assisted them.
These new listings illustrate coast to coast efforts of freedom seekers and their allies to secure self-determination, liberty and justice for themselves and others. Today, the Network to Freedom program is excited to recognize this community’s story and their local preservation efforts. New members will be featured on our interactive map and national database. Acceptance into the program will preserve this story for future generations and provide an opportunity to learn more about the Underground Railroad.
This application was submitted by local historian Dr. Sam Lemon, and focuses on the oral history of the Ridley family’s escape from enslavement in Virginia and settlement in Media, PA, during the Civil War; where they were given refuge by members of Providence Friends Meeting. It highlights the area’s strong Quaker ties to the Underground Railroad and the author’s personal connection as a current member of Providence and a descendant of the Ridley Family, preserving his family’s legacy by documenting the stories of his grandmother.
In addition, in assisting freedom seekers, noted abolitionist Graceanna Lewis (1821 – 1912) was a longtime Media resident, and member of Providence Friends Meeting where she is buried. Lewis was also a suffragette, social reformer, illustrator, naturalist, and an expert in ornithology.
Created by Congress in 1998, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom serves to honor, preserve, and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. It includes listings in 41 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its mission, the network advances the idea that all humans should have the rights to self-determination and freedom from oppression.
For more information contact:
Meg Barney, Clerk of Providence Friends Meeting (email: m1anyrb@gmail.com)
Dr. Sam Lemon, Co-Assistant Clerk (e-mail: samlemon@verizon.net)
Photo credit: Gray Goodman, Providence Friends Meeting.
