Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County
Schedule
Tue, 17 Jun, 2025 at 11:00 am
Location
2501 Bath Rd, Bristol, PA 19007-2150, United States | Bristol, PA
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Juneteenth Lunch & Learn Author Talk will be hosted by Bucksgen at the Bristol Township Senior Center. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., ending with Texas. In researching their new book, “Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County,” authors Pat Mervine and Joe Coleman have uncovered dozens of untold stories about Bucks County people and places involved with the Underground Railroad. They have been able to link Bucks County to daring escapes, challenges to the Fugitive Slave Act, and even an infamous Supreme Court decision, all of which made national headlines. The stories they will share will take you back to the time when slavery and bounty-hunting were legal, and when people of both races found the courage, compassion, and conviction needed to make Bucks County a safe haven and Pennsylvania a free state. The book, “Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County,” will be available for purchase; the full purchase price of $30 goes to the African American Museum of Bucks County’s Capital Campaign.
Registration for this program is required; we cannot accept walk-ins. Use this link to register starting May 15th: https://bit.ly/bcgs-juneteenth
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to the African American Museum of Bucks County. Following the presentation, pizza and beverages will be served, compliments of Bucksgen.
About the Speakers:
Patricia L. Mervine enjoyed a 30-year career as a speech/language pathologist and assistive technology consultant in Bucks County schools. For her second act, Pat has become immersed in researching local history. Her first book on local history, "Boone Farm: Its People and Place in Middletown History,” tells the stories of the twenty-one owners of the Boone Farm, a 1716 stone farmhouse on the banks of Core Creek. That property is soon to be the permanent home of the African American Museum of Bucks County. Both "Boone Farm" and "Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County" are Pat’s gifts to the African American Museum of Bucks County, a project she believes in with whole heart and soul. For her volunteerism and advocacy, Pat was named the 2025 recipient of the Bucks County Women’s History Month Award.
Joseph Coleman retired in 2019 after teaching United States history in high schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for a total of 35 years. He is now teaching history at The College of New Jersey. Joe serves as the archivist for the Hulmeville Historical Society. His first book was "Hulmeville Borough A History at 150," which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Hulmeville, a mill town on the Neshaminy Creek in Lower Bucks County. Along with Pat, Joe devoted a year of his life to the research and writing of “Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County” to support the work of the African American Museum of Bucks County.
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Where is it happening?
2501 Bath Rd, Bristol, PA 19007-2150, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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