Last updated: April 15, 2022
Place
William Still Marker at 244 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia
Independence National Historical Park
Quick Facts
Location:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Significance:
This marker highlights the location of the home William Still lived in when writing "The Underground Railroad."
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
As chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and an operative of the Underground Railroad, William Still (1821-1902) helped to shepherd hundreds of enslaved people through Philadelphia as they made their quest for freedom.
Assisting nearly 1,000 freedom seekers from slavery, Still took note of everyone that crossed his path. He carefully recorded their names, age, gender, as well as family members left behind. He also detailed their lives in slavery, including their enslaver’s name, their treatment while enslaved, and their reason for running. At times, he kept his journal hidden in a nearby cemetery out of fear of being caught and charged for violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
Still lived in many locations throughout Philadelphia while living here. (1844-1902). For example, from 1850-1855 he lived on Ronaldson Court (today 625 South Delhi Street), where he met and assisted freedom seekers and their allies—including Harriet Tubman.
This marker highlights the location of where Still lived when he published the stories that he had carefully collected and preserved. Still saw firsthand that “all over this wide and extended country thousands of mothers and children, separated by Slavery, were…living without the slightest knowledge of each other’s whereabouts, praying and weeping without ceasing…” Still knew that these collected stories could help to reunite those mercilessly separated by slavery.
Still published The Underground Railroad, A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &C, in 1872. The book’s 780 pages listed the names and traumatic experiences of 846 freedom seekers. Still included the accounts of famous and daring escapes by people such as Henry “Box” Brown, William and Ellen Craft, and several accounts of the most famous Underground Railroad conductor, Harriet Tubman.
The number of broken families reunited because of the publication of Still’s accounts remains unknown. The book, however, serves as Still’s legacy and more importantly a definitive record of the secret operations of the Underground Railroad.
Please note that 244 S. 12th Street and 625 S. Delhi Street are privately owned. Please respect the privacy of the property owners.
See also:Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center