Salem Historical Society to share slavery story in program

The Alliance Review
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America’s slavery past will be the focus of Salem Historical Society programming Tuesday night at the Shaffer Library in Salem.

Odette Lambert and Ken Locke developed the program “Slavery’s Journey to America: Beaver County, Pennsylvania’s Underground Railroad Involvement.” Lambert’s children, Carol Fedeles, Brian Lambert, Joan Shanahan and Greta Bible, are historians and will present the program.

Tuesday’s program, which begins at 7 p.m., offers a history of slavery and how it made its way onto North America. It shows how the people and the geography of the northern states played an important role in assisting runaway slaves to freedom. Specific western Pennsylvania routes, towns and families are documented throughout the program. The speakers also will show various artifacts and pictures associated with the Underground Railroad.

Nearly 30 years ago, Odette Lambert, a longtime member and past president of the New Brighton Historical Society, was asked by a middle school teacher what she knew about New Brighton, Pennsylvania’s involvement in the Underground Railroad. She knew very little and began to research the topic. Through much reading about the history of slavery and pouring through Beaver County and New Brighton history books, she began to unravel the fascinating history of the town’s Quaker founders, the Townsend family, and their clandestine involvement of using their homes and businesses as safe houses. She and a fellow New Brighton Historical Society member, Ken Locke, developed a slide show and presented it to many local schools and organizations over the years.

Lambert now is 95 years old and is still involved in the New Brighton Historical Society and continues to learn more about her town’s connection to the Underground Railroad. She recently had bright yellow historical markers placed at each known safe house in New Brighton and initiated the Underground Railroad Walking Tour of New Brighton.

Shaffer Library is at 239 S. Lundy Ave. Non-members of the society are welcome to attend.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Salem Historical Society to share slavery story in program