Last updated: January 26, 2026
Person
James A. Handy
Quick Facts
Place of Birth:
Baltimore, Maryland
Date of Birth:
Dec 22, 1826
Place of Death:
Maryland
Date of Death:
October 4, 1911
Place of Burial:
Eldersburg, Maryland
Cemetery Name:
Laurel Cemetery
Bishop James A. Handy traveled from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh on the Main Line in 1844.
In 1853, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. His book, "Scraps of African Methodist Episcopal History" was written in 1902.
Bishop Handy described the Allegheny Portage Railroad in his book, Scraps of African American Methodist Episcopal History:
“These rivers, valleys and mountains seem to have been made to test the genius of man. And he has gloriously evinced its God-like power in the structure of canals, those mimic rivers; the formation of railroads, and the application of steam power to the latter. . . if the lofty mountains dispute the passage of his roads, he will climb their towering summits and descend their precipitate sides upon incline planes, so that neither length nor breadth, nor heighth, nor depth, nor distance, nor time can hinder his locomotion; but swift as the mountain eagle, he flies from point to point, and unites the most distant places of the rolling earth.”
“On the evening of the 20th we took an affectionate farewell of the Pittsburgers, and made for Philadelphia. After a detention of about ten hours, twelve miles east of Pittsburg, occasioned by a breach in the canal, we moved as rapidly as possible toward Johnstown, and reached it about 3 o’clock P.M., and took the cars over the Alleghany Mountains, and reached Hollidaysburg about 8 o’clock at night; then took the packet 'Juniata,' the captain of which treated us—as did all the captains—with every possible kindness. Inasmuch as we had lost ten hours, and would have reached Harrisburg too late to take the first cars on Friday morning, the captain made extraordinary exertions, causing the drivers to move at the rate of between five and six miles per hour, so that we chased down the time, and reached the latter place fifteen minutes after 7 o’clock on Friday morning; took the cars, and were in the city of Philadelphia by 3 o’clock P.M.”