Decades before the Civil War began,
abolitionists were active north of Gettysburg in the
area known as Quaker Valley and Yellow Hill. Located
just north of the Mason Dixon line, this area was a
safe haven for Gettysburg’s African American community
during the Confederate invasion. Here members of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) worked with local
freedmen Edward Mathews and Basil Biggs to bring slaves
to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Today, an
abandoned cemetery is all that remains as evidence of
the African American community that once thrived there.
Learn how the Yellow Hill community began, its relationship with its
Quaker neighbors, how it contributed to the area economy,
and why it disappeared.
For an in-depth experience, take a tour of the area.
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