Wrightsville in York County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Mifflin House

Underground Railroad to Civil War

Photographed by Shane Oliver, July 18, 2020

1. Mifflin House Marker

Inscription. Directly in front of you stands Hybla, which Jonathan and Susanna Mifflin, a Quaker couple, built about 1800. Mifflin, a Revolutionary War captain (afterward a colonel), and his wife hid freedom seekers on their estate and helped them escape across the river into Lancaster County, often in conjunction with free black boatman Robert Loney. Once across, Susanna Mifflin's brother William Wright, a leading abolitionist in the river region, welcomed them and ensured their safe passage to other conductors farther east. Their secret activities were part of an informal network that came to be called the Underground Railroad. Samuel W. Mifflin inherited Hybla in 1840 on his father's death. He and his wife Elizabeth continued their Underground Railroad operations until moving away in 1846, as Samuel constructed bridges for the emerging railroad industry.

By the time of the Civil War, Jacob Huber and his family lived in Hybla. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Confederate soldiers marched to Wrightsville to seize the bridge to cross into Lancaster County and march to Harrisburg. Pennsylvania state militia and other Union troops,

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augmented by 53 free black men from the river region, resisted the Confederate advance for a short time before withdrawing across the nearby covered bridge to Columbia. Confederate artillery fired multiple explosive shells at the Union lines from the yard of Hybla during the engagement on June 28, 1863.

"I would jump into the river rather than return to bondage." —"Ensor Sam" Berry, Baltimore Co., Maryland, slave who passed through Wrightsville

(captions)
Samuel Wright Mifflin (1805-1885), portrait by James R. Lambdin Courtesy Mifflin descendant Duncan Ely

Hybla, late 19th century - Courtesy York County History Center

Erected 2019 by Pennsylvania Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 28, 1863.

Location. 40° 1.604′ N, 76° 32.412′ W. Marker is in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, in York County. It is on Cherry Street west of North 7th Street, on the right when traveling west.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 4, 2022

2. Mifflin House Marker

To access the marker, park at the dead-end of 600 Cherry Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Cherry Street, Wrightsville PA 17368, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country,

in the Susquehanna Valley,

and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Wrightsville Engagement (here, next to this marker); World War Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Road of Remembrance (approx. ¼ mile away); Springetsbury Manor (approx. ¼ mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Wrightsville (approx. 0.3 miles away); U.S.S. Maine Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Flame of Freedom (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of

View of the Mifflin House from the marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Shane Oliver, July 18, 2020

3. View of the Mifflin House from the marker.

The Mifflin House is currently a private residence, and is not open to the public. Although obstructed by crops and tall grasses in the summer, this is currently the closest you can get to the Mifflin house.

all markers in Wrightsville.

More about this marker. The marker features a map of the Underground Railroad Routes in Southern Pennsylvania.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2020, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,357 times since then and 67 times this year. Last updated on May 10, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on December 16, 2020, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on September 7, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on December 16, 2020, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.