Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County

Pat Mervine, local author, historian and member of Middletown Friends Meeting will speak at the Solebury Friends Meetinghouse, 2680 Sugan Road, New Hope, PA on Sunday, February 23rd at 11:15 am about her newly published book, Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County.

 

Co-written with Joseph Coleman, Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County explores the African American journey in Southeastern Pennsylvania from the 1600s through the post-Civil War era. Stories of fifty freedom seekers, abolitionists, and participants in the Underground Railroad are told within the historical context in which they lived. The book includes tales of extraordinary courage, of daring escapes from slavery, kidnapping, and significant African American settlements which have long since disappeared.

 

Pat will relate stories about Quakers who fought for abolition and the people of both races who provided support for those on the run and will talk about the laws that protected the enslaved, then stripped free people of their rights. She will also share stories specifically related to the Solebury-New Hope region.

 

All of this and more make up the history of Bucks County, the ripple effects of which are still felt today. After Pat shares some of these stories she will provide an update on the construction of the African American Museum of Bucks County.

 

Pat’s book was written as a fundraiser, with 100% of proceeds from its sale going to the AAMBC Capital Campaign. She will have copies of the book available for purchase; cost is $30; cash or checks payable to “African American Museum of Bucks County” will be accepted.

 

All are welcome to join Solebury Friends for their meeting for worship from 10 to 11 am before Pat’s talk. Please join everyone for a potluck lunch immediately following. This event is free and open to the public; all are welcome!

 

Bio:

Patricia L. Mervine, M.A., enjoyed a 30-year career as a speech/language pathologist and assistive technology consultant in Bucks County schools.  For her second act, Pat has become immersed in researching local history.  Her first book on local history, “Boone Farm: Its People and Place in Middletown History,” tells the stories of the twenty-one owners of the Boone Farm, a 1716 stone farmhouse on the banks of Core Creek. That property is soon to be the permanent home of the African American Museum of Bucks County.   Her new book, “Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County,” tells amazing untold stories of the African American journey and involvement with local Quakers in Bucks, from the late 1600s through the post-Civil War period.  Both books are Pat’s gifts to the African American Museum of Bucks County, a project she believes in with whole heart and soul.