Museum talk to focus on underground railroad in Delaware June 11

Lewes Historical Society will present a virtual talk by Marcos Salaverria titled Run-Away Slaves and the Underground Railroad in Southern Delaware 1850-1860  at 7 p.m., Friday, June 11, at historiclewes.org.  

Salaverria, LHS director of education, will offer a close examination of the historic book, “The Underground Railroad Records: Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom,” by William Still.

The presentation will reveal numerous historically sourced testimonials from fugitive slaves who escaped along the route of the Underground Railroad to Philadelphia, revealing in-depth details of their struggles for freedom.

Salaverria, who has been studying this subject intensely for the past year, will also focus his lecture on three documented accounts of escapees from Sussex County. His research will disclose the names of enslaved individuals, local slave owners and their locales during the 1850s.

“My goal in this lecture is to improve attendees’ understanding of the nature of slavery in Southern Delaware in the decade before the outbreak of the American Civil War,” said Salaverria. “In Sussex County, the accounts of freedom seekers who escaped via waterways are often overlooked.”

The Lewes Historical Society’s Monthly Museum Speaker Series continues to offer educational and entertaining programs that explore the history of Lewes, the surrounding area, Lewes' unique interaction in the national scene, and other related and appealing topics. These presentations are open to society members, residents and visitors of the Lewes community and do not require a reservation.