The Bellefonte Art Museum has a permanent exhibit, “The Underground Railroad: A Journey to Freedom,” that shows a side of Centre County history that many people don’t know about. File Photo/StateCollege.com
This article originally appeared in the Centre County Gazette.
STATE COLLEGE — The rolling hills of Happy Valley hide a rich history that local historians, organizations and individuals are endlessly working to unearth, and recently the United Nations Association of Central Pennsylvania Chapter 151 led a discussion shedding light on an important, yet often overlooked, chapter in Centre County’s past.
The presentation, titled “The Underground Railroad and Early African American Communities in Central Pennsylvania,” took place at the Schlow Center Regional Library on Wednesday, June 5. UNA-CPA Director Robert Lumley Sapanski led the discussion, encouraging the audience to “discover the often-overlooked role our region played in African American history before, during and after the Civil War.”
Lumley Sapanski recalled a revelation she had in Bellefonte when she stumbled upon a panel called “African American Footprints in the Sands of Bellefonte History.”
“So when you start looking at this, you find some really amazing stories,” he said. “I got really interested and I went to the library and started digging up other stuff.”
Lumley Sapanski went on to explain that one of the first documents he came across in his research was “Black Heroes of Bellefonte,” in which the author features many of the names and stories of people in the area’s black community from the 1700s through the 1900s.
One of the topics discussed during the presentation was Centre County’s role in the Underground Railroad. Lumley-Sapanski noted that unearthing this history in Centre County has been difficult because the Underground Railroad was secretive to protect those seeking freedom and those who provided homes and buildings for the safety of others. While it is accepted that the area participated in the Underground Railroad, the full extent of its involvement has yet to be revealed.
One site known to be connected to the Underground Railroad is Bellefonte’s historic Lynn House, which is home to the Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County. The museum installed a permanent exhibit called “The Underground Railroad – Journey to Freedom” in 2016 following the discovery of a “secret room” in the Lynn House.
In addition to showcasing the Lynn House, the exhibit also highlights other significant Bellefonte structures discussed by Lumley Sapanski, including the homes of William Thomas (The Wren’s Nest) and Samuel Harris, and St. Paul’s African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Lumley Sapanski discussed a variety of topics about the long history and role of the black community in Centre County, from the musical legacy of Bellefonte’s Mills Brothers to Frederick Douglass’ speech at the invitation of the Eudine Fire Company. Additionally, Bellefonte made great strides toward integration, integrating its schools in 1887, nearly 70 years before the federal government mandated it.
Central Pennsylvania has a rich baseball tradition, but what is less known is that the region, which encompasses towns such as Phillipsburg, Altoona, Bellefonte and Hollidaysburg, was once home to numerous black baseball teams.
For Lumley Sapanski, UNA’s involvement in researching and educating the community on these topics is essential.
“Some people might be thinking, ‘What does the United Nations have to do with this?'” he joked. “I think slavery is probably one of the biggest threats to people’s human rights,” he said, explaining that the United Nations Association works with the United Nations to develop the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Some of these goals are quality education, reducing inequality, peace and justice, and strong institutions. … These stories need to be told, and I’m here to present these histories,” Lumley Sapanski explained.
The United Nations Association of America is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering understanding and support for the ideals and work of the United Nations among American residents. Founded in 1992, UNA-CPA’s reach extends beyond Centre County and throughout central Pennsylvania, with education and advocacy efforts.
The organization also conducts other educational programs and events such as in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, UN Day programs, supporting Model UN programs in schools, and raising funds for relief efforts. Currently, UNA-CPA is raising funds for the Ghana Medical Relief Project.
“This year, we are focusing on the Ghana Medica Relief Program run by State College, which is raising funds to go to Ghana and provide free medical care and other assistance,” Lumley Sapanski said.
To learn more about UNA-CPA, upcoming events and projects, or how to become a member, visit unacentralpa.org, check out the organization’s Facebook, or contact us by email. [email protected].
