Abolitionist William Still was born on October 7, 1821. I read Still’s “The Underground Rail Road” when I was in high school. I have been fascinated with this fearless Black man ever since.

I lead a walking tour, “Underground Railroad Philadelphia: Walking in William Still’s Footsteps.” The walk begins at the site of the office of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society where Still was reunited with his brother, Peter Freedman, and Henry “Box” Brown was delivered to freedom.

We stop at places associated with the Father of the Underground Railroad including Independence Hall, Mother Bethel AME Church, Still’s boarding house and Lombard Street Central Presbyterian Church.

The walking tour features sites associated with “friends of the fugitive,” including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Robert Purvis, Dr. J. J. Gould Bias, Sarah Buchanan, William Whipper, Jacob C. White Jr., Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Frances E.W. Harper and Henrietta Duterte.

The last stop is the South Philly rowhouse where Still and his wife, Letitia, lived from 1850 to 1855. This is where Still began to record the stories of hundreds of self-emancipated “weary travelers flying from the land of bondage.” The weary travelers who crossed these marble steps included Harriet Tubman and her brothers Ben, Henry and Robert who arrived on December 29, 1854.

To be added to the mailing list for the walking tour schedule, arrange a group tour or schedule a presentation, contact Faye Anderson at andersonatlarge@gmail.com.