Lancaster in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
African-American Women Escape County Jail, 1835
Lancaster County Sheriff, 'Dare Devil Dave' Miller secretly liberated women jailed by bounty hunters
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 7, 2019
An unusual escape occurred here in 1835. Two formerly enslaved African-American women, Mrs. John Urick and Mrs. William (Margaret) Wallace, were living freely with their families in rural Lancaster. Bounty hunters abducted the women and Wallace's oldest child took them by wagon to Lancaster County Jail, with plans to hold them temporarily before returning to the Carolinas.
But an unlikely co-conspirator, Sheriff David Miller, released them.
Surprisingly, the women and child appeared the next morning at the farm of Abolitionist Daniel Gibbons, telling of an incredible escape using only a knife. "I broke jail," one woman said. For several days they moved from safe-house to safe-house telling this story and 'covering' for Miller, who years later admitted to a confidant he opened their cell and let them walk out.
Known as "Dare-Devil Dave," Miller was a veteran, horse racer, entrepreneur and humanitarian. As Sheriff, he suppressed race riots against African Americans in Columbia, Pennsylvania in 1835. The secret jail release was documented in a 2008 report to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, earning the Fulton and its workhouse foundations the designation as a site with an authentic Underground Railroad connection.
Read this report at:
LancasterHistory.org/aah-markers
[Aside:]
"Dave delivered the papers to the Courtroom on horseback."
The Sunday News, Lancaster, PA. July 8, 1934. Article details many tales of the swashbuckling sheriff who once rode his steed into a courtroom to impress a judge.
Erected by Junior League of Lancaster; African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania; and National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a program of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Notable Events • Women. In addition, it is included in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 8, 1934.
Location. 40° 2.269′ N, 76° 18.458′
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 7, 2019
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Reynolds House (within shouting distance of this marker); John F. Reynolds (within shouting distance of this marker); Fulton Opera House (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Conestoga Indian Massacre (within shouting distance of this marker); John Durang (within shouting distance of this marker); The Steinman Hardware Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Union Fire Company No 1 (about 300 feet away); Bailey's Printshop (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lancaster.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 684 times since then and 180 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 9, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.