Also at the Northern Appalachian Folk Festival (#NAFF) was a workshop on the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. It was run by Dr. Barbara Zaborowski and Lenwood Sloan. The video above lasts 1hr and 24 min.
The Allegheny Portage Railroad (APRR) was key in the Underground Railroad for hiding and transporting escaped slaves between the 1830s and the 1850s. During this period, the APRR connected the both ends of the Pennsylvania Canal between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. They hid in freight barges. The two main paths for runaways are seen in the image above. Once they made it to the Great Lakes, it was a short boat ride to safety in Canada.
The Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania workshop showed that the state was critical in aiding escaped slaves find freedom. This was especially true once the fugitive slave act was passed in 1850 and signed by President Millard Fillmore. The Mason-Dixon Line was an important barrier after slavery had been gradually abolished in Pennsylvania.