After scouring resources at local historical societies and deep digging into newspaper archives, deeds, wills,
obituaries, journals, books, Quaker records, and countless online resources, Pat Mervine and Joe Coleman
have unearthed amazing stories about the role Bucks County played in slavery, abolition, and the lives of
those who sought freedom. The rise of slavery in Bucks County; Underground Railroad routes throughout
the county; African American settlements that once thrived and then vanished; how Quakers changed from
slavers to abolitionists; Bucks County ties to major headline-grabbing events such as John Brown’s Raid, the
Christiana Riot, the Dred Scott Decision, challenges to the Fugitive Slave Act; kidnappings and daring
escapes; and the laws and attitudes that provided context for the stories of more than 50 people who lived or
passed through Bucks County — all of this and more are included in their new book in a way that makes this
period of American history relevant and relatable to our lives today.