Blairsville in Indiana County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Chester C. Davis and the Kidnapping of 1858
The Blairsville Area Underground Railroad
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 15, 2022
1. Chester C. Davis and the Kidnapping of 1858 Marker
On April 1, 1858, Blairsville Mayor Chester C. Davis was summoned to quell a mob of angry Blairsville citizens. The mob, a mixture of black and white men, had surrounded three slave catchers who were attempting to kidnap a former slave named Richard Newman. Davis intervened on behalf of the slave catchers and stopped a probable lynching.
Chester Davis was born in Indiana County in 1817 and had resided here with his wife and seven children. Davis was an undertaker, cabinetmaker, auctioneer and was a colorful character!
In 1861, Davis gained notoriety in Uniontown when he defended the Union to a "burley mountain man" who claimed he could "lick anyone from Indiana County who supports Lincoln and his unholy war." Chester Davis reportedly leveled a crushing blow to the man's neck, bringing him to his knees. At home, though, the mayor came under attack when he refused to burn his funeral wagon after transporting a victim of smallpox.
[photo caption]
1817 Indiana County
Erected 2020.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 40° 25.852′ N, 79° 15.908′ W. Marker is in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, in Indiana County. It is on West Market Street just west of North Walnut Street (Pennsylvania Route 217), on the right when traveling west. Marker is mounted at eye-level directly on the building at this address. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 West Market Street, Blairsville PA 15717, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. 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: George Wilkinson and the Kidnapping of 1858 (within shouting distance of this marker); Samuel McCune Safehouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Edward Emerson & Dred Scott (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Former Associate Reformed and United Presbyterian Churches (about 300 feet away); St. Peter's Episcopal Church and Rectory (about 400 feet away); Blairsville Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away); Blairsville Armory (about 500 feet away); Fugitive Slave Rescue (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blairsville.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Passport to Freedom: The Blairsville
2. Marker detail: Nineteenth Century Funeral Wagon
Also see . . . Chester C. Davis.
Quickly, a crowd of angry residents surrounded the kidnappers. They succeeded in freeing Newman. As the mob's calls for hanging the men grew, a nervous Stump fired his pistol into the crowd. Constable George Wilkinson and Mayor Chester Davis were called to the scene and Johnston was able to secret Mr. Newman away. Although beaten and pelted with rocks and sticks, the three slave catchers were saved by the combined efforts of Jackson, Leslie, Blairsvilles Mayor CC Davis, and Constable Wilkinson.(Submitted on November 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 15, 2022
3. Chester C. Davis and the Kidnapping of 1858 Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 15, 2022
4. Chester C. Davis Cabinetmaking Shop (on left)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 471 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 28, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
