In this episode, Jake sits down with public historian EJ Murphy of the Destination Freedom Project at the Waverly Community House to talk about abolition, the Underground Railroad, and the way slavery’s political shockwaves reached even the smallest Northern communities before the Civil War.
Jake and EJ dig into how Waverly became a key stop on a regional freedom network connecting places like Wilkes-Barre and other Coal Region communities, Montrose, and the Southern Tier of New York.
They also talk about the challenges of telling these stories with limited sources, what the Fugitive Slave Act changed on the ground, and why local history hits hardest when you realize it was never “just local.”
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This episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly explores:
- Waverly’s role in the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Pennsylvania
- The Fugitive Slave Act and why it radicalized communities in the North
- A letter about organized resistance – and “pockets loaded with pistols”
- George Keys and the growth of Waverly’s Black community
- Native American paths that shaped escape routes and regional geography
- Why visitors keep saying: “I grew up here…and I had no idea”
Learn more about Destination Freedom here!
Listen to our previous podcast episode
Podcast | Peshtigo – The forgotten story of America’s deadliest wildfire
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