Indian Run, Mercer County, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Indian Run is a small community in Wilmington Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. It was named after a nearby stream called Indian Run. This place became famous as a "safe haven" for African Americans, whether they were already free or escaping slavery. A church called White Chapel Church was started by people who were against slavery. In the 1840s, a special settlement called Pandenarium was created here for people who had been freed from slavery. Important leaders of the Underground Railroad, like John Young, helped many people find freedom in Indian Run.
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Early Settlers
John Young Sr. moved to Mercer County in 1804 with his wife, Elizabeth Elder Young, and their children. They brought with them Margaret Johnston, known as Peggy (born 1763), who was one of the few enslaved people in Mercer County at the time. Peggy had two children, Sallie and Robert Johnson, who were born in Mercer County. According to a law from 1780 called the An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, children born to enslaved people would become free at age 28. John Young made sure in his will that Peggy would be cared for by his sons.
White Chapel Church and Cemetery
The White Chapel Church was built in 1907 on Mercer–New Castle Road. The land for the church was bought for just one dollar. The church itself was started much earlier, in 1842. Some members of the Neshannock Presbyterian Church in New Wilmington left their church because they disagreed about slavery. Indian Run was well-known for its strong abolitionists, who were people against slavery.
John Young led this group and had the first church building put up across from the White Chapel Cemetery. This church was dedicated to speaking out against slavery. It was named after Joseph White, who helped people escaping slavery travel from New Castle to John Young at Indian Run.
The Underground Railroad
Indian Run was an important stop, or "station," on the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe houses and routes that helped enslaved African Americans escape to freedom, usually in the Northern states or Canada.
John Young and his son David Young were "conductors" on the Underground Railroad at Indian Run. They would sometimes move people escaping slavery between their houses to avoid "slave catchers," who were people hired to find and return those who had escaped. Neighbors would warn the Youngs if slave catchers were nearby. John Young also worked with his niece, Elizabeth Stewart Kilgore, whose home was another Underground Railroad station six miles away. Other neighbors, James Minick and his son John, were also conductors.
Nearby stops in Brookfield, Ohio, Jamestown, and Mercer, Pennsylvania were part of a common route through Western Pennsylvania to Canada. From Indian Run, people were also taken to Sheakleyville and then to Ashtabula, Ohio. From Ashtabula, they would travel by boat across the lake to Canada. People looking for those who had escaped slavery often watched the route between New Castle and Ashtabula. John Young himself helped transport people across the lake to Canada many times.
Hundreds of people seeking freedom traveled through these stations. They often traveled at night, sometimes hidden in wagons under hay or in secret compartments in houses during the day. Stops were usually far enough apart for a horse to travel in one night. The work of the Underground Railroad became much more dangerous after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed. This law made it easier for slave catchers to capture people, even in free states.
Pandenarium: A New Home
Pandenarium was a special settlement created just for freed African American men, women, and children. Its name is thought to mean "a fertile and plowed plateau." It was started by Dr. Charles Everett, a plantation owner and doctor from Virginia. Even though he owned enslaved people, he believed slavery was wrong. He began freeing his enslaved people in 1837 and paid them for their work on his plantation.
When Dr. Everett died in 1848, his will provided a new future for those he had freed. He left each person $1,000. This money was used to buy the freedom of spouses and other family members who were separated from Everett's plantation. For example, Nancy Bell used her money to buy her husband Dan's freedom.
Dr. Charles D. Everett, Dr. Everett's nephew, bought 50 acres in Indian Run for the settlement. People were given two-acre plots of land. Building began around 1849 for what was planned to be a community with a stagecoach stop, stores, and a church. By 1854, there were 24 two-story houses with gardens, wells, and proper roads. Clothing, farm tools, and furniture were also provided. A Baptist church was built for the community.
On November 12, 1854, sixty-three people who had been freed, along with their families, arrived. This group included George Washington Lewis and John and Rosie Allen. They traveled by train from Keswick, Virginia. At New Brighton, they rode on packet boats along the Pennsylvania Canal. Abolitionists met them at New Castle and took them to Indian Run.
At first, some residents, like George Washington Lewis and his family, built small shacks along the Indian Run Creek instead of living in the houses built by the abolitionists. They moved into the houses after a flood from the Shenango River damaged their shacks. In 1855, the Pennsylvania State Legislature officially recognized Pandenarium with Act number 324. This act helped protect the people freed by Dr. Everett's will, making sure they couldn't be kidnapped back into slavery. The settlement grew to 100 acres.
During the 1800s, some newspaper stories said that life in the community was hard. People faced illnesses like pneumonia and tuberculosis. The residents were not used to the cold winters. The Indian Run creek or Shenango River sometimes flooded and caused damage. They also lost money because some people took advantage of them. Unfriendly neighbors sometimes wrongly accused residents and tried to scare them.
However, archaeologist Angela Jaillet-Wentling found that even with these difficulties, the community members thrived from 1854 into the 1930s. Many people moved to nearby towns. George Washington Lewis (who lived from about 1836 to 1916) fought in the 127th United States Colored Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. People lived in Pandenarium until the 1930s, with six members of the Robinson family listed in the federal census at that time.
Archaeological Study of Pandenarium
An archaeological study of Pandenarium began in 2009, led by Angela Jaillet-Wentling, who was from the area. The study focused on the Allen family residence, where several generations of the family lived.
The first layout of the town was designed by local abolitionists to look like a northern rural village. But over time, the community changed to better fit the lives of its residents. For example, houses were first built along one main road inside the community. However, African Americans later built their homes near main roads and close to the stream. John Allen's blacksmith shop stayed by the stream, even after early floods led to new houses being built higher up and further from the water.
Archaeology helps us understand how people lived their daily lives by studying what they left behind. The remains found from around 1874 to 1896 showed that the community members valued education. They found toys, like colorful toy tea sets, which were similar to those used by their neighbors. They also found hair ornaments and evidence of the types of clothes they wore. This showed that families lived in Pandenarium for many generations and that the community changed to suit their needs. Census records also showed their education levels, ethnic backgrounds, ages, and who owned their own land.
Historical Marker
A historical marker was placed in November 2019 at the Helen Black Miller Memorial Chapel in Mercer. It is located on the west side of U.S. Route 19 near the Iron Bridge Inn. There was also another community nearby called Liberia, which was established for people who had escaped slavery.
