Tour will visit Mercer County's Underground Railroad landmarks

Feb. 8—SHARON — An upcoming tour will give visitors a chance to travel the Underground Railroad — by bus — and see some historical locations throughout Mercer County.

The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 18. It will start at the Mercer County Visitors Center, 50 N. Water Ave., Sharon.

The tour is being organized by VisitMercerCountyPA, the county's tourism agency, in cooperation with Bob Lark of the Mercer County Historical Society. Local historian and author Roland Barksdale-Hall will serve as "conductor" for the event.

"For a tour like this, you really need a conductor and a narrator, since some of these sites aren't there anymore," said Peggy Mazyck, president and CEO of VisitMercerCountyPA.

Planning for the event began a few weeks ago, when Mazyck was contacted by a group from St. John's Episcopal Church in Sharon.

The church group was originally seeking only information on local sites related to the Underground Railroad, but Mazyck said the organization had hosted similar tours in the past and decided to expand the group's request into a tour with multiple locations.

The Underground Railroad was a network of people and places in the mid-1800s that offered shelter and aid to escaped slaves from the South.

"The response so far has been exciting. Everyone that we've asked so far to be a part of this has said 'yes,'" Mazyck said.

The tour will feature Underground Railroad-related songs performed by Monica Jefferson and her son Leon Avery, who have previously performed with the ACTS theater group.

Stops along the tour include the Raisch Log Cabin in Sharpsville, which will give visitors a feel for life during the 1800s; safe houses in Mercer and in Pandenarium, a former town settled by free slaves; the Mercer County Historical Society; lunch at the society's Helen Black Miller Memorial Chapel; the former fugitive slave town of Liberia; and the Gibson House, or Mark Twain Manor, in Jamestown.

Lunches will be provided by local caterer Guy Gibbs, who Mazyck said will prepare period-appropriate food for visitors. Articles and information will also be provided to the visitors, along with the first-hand experience of seeing the locations and meeting with historians and other experts.

"I think this will be a very interesting experience for everyone," Mazyck said.

Depending on what kind of response this tour generates, Mazyck said officials could consider doing future historical tours, making changes and improvements as needed.

To register, go to visitmercercountypa.com/underground-railroad-tour or call Mazyck at 724-971-3544. Checks or money can be deposited at the Mercer County Visitors Center, Mazyck said.

Tickets cost $40 per person, and there are 40 seats available.

Mazyck said, as of Wednesday, 27 people from St. John's Episcopal Church in Sharon were already signed up, leaving 13 seats open.

After the tour, St. John's Episcopal Church, at 226 W. State St., Sharon, invites participants to join them for light refreshments and informal discussion.

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Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.