Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Charles Bell
"My journey to freedom"
Photographed by Mike McKeown, September 10, 2026
1. Charles Bell Marker
"I was born a slave," Bell later recalled, but in his early years he "had never known what it was to be" one. That changed when his first master died in 1848, and he was sold and separated from his heartbroken mother, who said, "My poor boy is gone." His new enslaver was much harsher, and "for the first time in my life," Bell "fully realized that I was a slave."
In August 1849, when Bell suspected he was about to be sold again, he fled north with his wife, Catherine.
The two embarked on a perilous four-week-long journey through the mountains, traveling at night and hiding during the day, "wet and hungry and footsore," eating only green corn and berries. "Alone either one of us would have given up," Bell recalled, but together "we never lost our determination."
When they reached Pittsburgh, the Underground Railroad spirited them to a nearby farm. Eventually they reached Canada, where Bell was finally "a freeman, safe ..
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After the Civil War, Bell returned to the United States and saw his mother again. In 1867, while in search of work, he had a chance encounter with Justin Loomis, the president of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Loomis hired him to chop down a treethen as a laborer at the university, where Bell worked until retiring in 1905. He died in 1912.
"Almost the first thing we saw was a poster, nailed to a dead tree, describing me and offering a reward for my return." Charles Bell, during his escape north.
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Charles Bell on the Bucknell University campus, 1897. Photos courtesy Special Collections/University Archives, Ellen Clarke Bernard Library, Bucknell University
Charles Bell, ca 1897.
Erected by West Virginia 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 West Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1849.
Location. 39° 20.662′ N, 78° 45.322′ W. Marker is in Romney,
Photographed by Mike McKeown, September 10, 2026
2. Charles Bell Marker
Regionally, this marker is in the Eastern Panhandle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old District Parsonage (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Easton Family Homesite (about 500 feet away); Presbyterian Church (about 600 feet away); Gilbert Proctor Miller (approx. 0.2 miles away); Literary Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hampshire County World War I Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Revolutionary War Patriots (approx. 0.2 miles away); Romney / Early Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Romney.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 10, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
