October 7 marks the 200th birthday of William Still, the Black Philadelphia abolitionist who is documented as helping nearly 1,000 enslaved people liberate themselves. His obituary in The New York Times described him as “known throughout the country as the Father of the Underground Railroad,” and his 1872 book by the same name is a meticulous and rare firsthand documentation of the stories of those he helped free.
So why isn’t Still a household name like Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass?
“He is a really important figure, both nationally and for Philadelphia, and he’s just completely forgotten in Philadelphia. There are no buildings named after him, no schools named after him, no streets, no statues,” says J.M. Duffin, acting University archivist and self-described “Still fan.” Duffin’s diligent research led to his 2017 discovery of Still’s home that was a station on the Underground Railroad while he worked for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, saving it just before it was to be demolished.
Penn archivist J.M. Duffin’s diligent research led to his 2017 discovery of Still’s home that was a station on the Underground Railroad while he worked for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, saving it just before it was to be demolished.
“If you consider how many descendants are alive today in the United States or Canada because of William Still, it’s amazing. He should be commemorated,” Duffin says.
Duffin and English professor Zachary Lesser, a fellow Still fan, took it upon themselves to make sure the Father of the Underground Railroad was remembered on and around his birthday, and hope the push will bring greater recognition to Still’s courageous life.
“My role has been mainly organizational and, well, being a noodge,” says Lesser, the Edward W. Kane Professor of English and an expert on Shakespeare. “My own areas of research and teaching are far from this topic, but I got interested in Still because I happen to live around the corner from the house Still and his wife Letitia lived in when Harriet Tubman escaped to Philadelphia.”
Their efforts will culminate on Oct. 7-8 with a virtual conference at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies titled “Black Lives and Freedom Journeys: The Legacies of the Still Family of Philadelphia.” It’s co-sponsored by the Kislak Center for Special Collections and the Workshop in the History of Material Texts, and features scholars from around the region, including Penn historians Mia Bay and Kathleen Brown. A highlight will be comments from Still descendent Winifred Still, who’ll speak about the Still family reunion that’s been happening for more than 120 years, says Emma Hart, director of the McNeil Center. Other descendants will also be in attendance.
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