York in York County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Underground Railroad and Precursors to War
Photographed by Henry T. McLin, September 29, 2009
1. The Underground Railroad and Precursors to War Marker
Among the events in the 1850s that helped drive the nation into civil war, the Christiana Riot put a controversial new law to a bloody test. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ordered federal officers to arrest suspected runaway slaves; it also threatened imprisonment to anyone aiding a runaway. In 1851, Edward Gorsuch, a Maryland farmer, heard that four of his escaped slaves had been seen in southern Pennsylvania. With an armed posse, Gorsuch arrived at William Parker's Christiana home, where fugitives had been hiding. Parker, an escaped slave himself from Maryland, had passed first through York before settling in Christiana. After neighbors gathered to oppose the posse, Gorsuch was shot and killed. Federal authorities charged participants with treason, but all were acquitted. Southerners fumed over the verdict.
John Brown's raid on the Federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, lit the country's already short fuse. The Federal force sent after Brown included York resident Lieutenant Michael P. Small. Among Brown's raiders was Osborne Perry Anderson who escaped to Chambersburg on foot. From there he turned to the Underground Railroad for safety. A local conductor, Freedman William C. Goodridge, hid him in York. Anderson eventually escaped to Canada.
Erected 2009 by Civil War
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
Location. 39° 57.76′ N, 76° 43.654′ W. Marker is in York, Pennsylvania, in York County. It is at the intersection of Market Street (Pennsylvania Route 462) and North George Street (Business Interstate 83), on the left when traveling east on Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Market St, York PA 17401, 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: McClean House (here, next to this marker); Articles of Confederation (a few steps from this marker); Trolley Master Station (a few steps from this marker); Continental Treasury (a few steps from this marker); Continental Congress (a few steps from this marker); Provincial Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); York surrenders to save city (within shouting distance of this marker); Black Horse Tavern (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in York.
More about this marker. In a July 2025 visit, the wayside had been relocated in the plaza directly across North George Street
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 20, 2024
2. The Underground Railroad and Precursors to War Marker
Unfortunately, the marker has weathered significantly.
Regarding The Underground Railroad and Precursors to War. In the lower half of the marker is a portrait captioned, Osborne Perry Anderson, one of John Brown's raiders, escaped to Chambersburg following the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry. Anderson was hidden in York by William Goodridge before escaping to Canada.
Photographed by Henry T. McLin, September 29, 2009
3. View looking Northwest from Center Square.
Marker in left center.
Photographed by Larry Gertner, July 25, 2025
4. The Underground Railroad and Precursors to War wayside site
July 2025 location
Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2009, by Henry T. McLin of Hanover, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,815 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on June 22, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on September 30, 2009, by Henry T. McLin of Hanover, Pennsylvania. 2. submitted on October 24, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on September 30, 2009, by Henry T. McLin of Hanover, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on July 29, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
