Daniel Hughes (underground railroad)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Hughes was a conductor, agent and station master in the Underground Railroad
based in Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. He was the owner of a barge
on the Pennsylvania Canal
and transported lumber
from Williamsport
on the West Branch Susquehanna River
to Havre de Grace
, Maryland
. Hughes hid runaway slaves in the hold of his barge on his return trip up the Susquehanna River
to Lycoming County, where he provided shelter to the runaways on his property near the Loyalsock Township border with Williamsport before they moved further north and to eventual freedom
in Canada
. Hughes' home was located in a hollow or small valley in the mountains just north of Williamsport. This hollow is now known as Freedom Road, having previously been called Nigger Hollow. In response to the actions of concerned African American citizens of Williamsport, the pejorative
name was formally changed by the Williamsport City Council in 1936.
Hughes was a man of a mixed racial background. The census of 1850
designated him as a mulatto
. He was at least part Mohawk
. He was a giant
for his time, standing 6 feet 8 inches and weighing as much as 300 pounds. Hughes moved to Williamsport in 1828 and married a local African American freewoman, Ann Rotch. According to the 1850 census, she too was mulatto. His work on the river and canals gave him an opportunity to take an important role in the Underground Railroad. Hughes' barge and home provided a safe haven for the fugitive slave
s. His property in the hills north of Williamsport was in a densely wooded area that was covered with vines. A series of cave
s under the Hughes property provided further cover for the runaway slaves.
Although Daniel Hughes operated in an area of the United States where slavery had long since been banned, this did not mean that many of his neighbors and townsfolk agreed with his stance on slavery. Hughes, his wife and 16 children had to take care in hiding their work to liberate the slaves. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
allowed slave catchers to pursue runaway slaves into the Northern states
when they had been previously, under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, forced to stop at the Mason-Dixon Line
. Allowing slave catchers to pursue runaways into the northern states made life more dangerous and difficult for all conductors on the Underground Railroad, including Hughes.
Racial tensions in Lycoming County were also at a high in the years following the Muncy Abolition Riot of 1842
. Hughes was forced to lead the slaves under the cover of darkness. Local bounty hunter
s and professional slave catchers from the south sought to capture any slaves that they could. Hughes and his sons tried to work on moonless nights. They also would stretch horse hairs across the trails; the horse hairs were difficult to see, and would cause the slave catchers to be thrown off the backs of their horses, either slowing their pursuit or deterring it entirely. Hughes led the fugitive slaves from his home to the next station in Lewis Township
near the hamlet of Trout Run on Lycoming Creek
. From there the slaves would work their way north to Elmira
, New York
and eventually to freedom in Canada.
Daniel Hughes' son, Robert, recalled many details of his experiences on the Underground Railroad in his later years. He said about the runaways, "We would hide them in the woods in brush houses. I was just a little boy, but I remember very well carrying meals out to them in the woods. They usually traveled in groups of two or three men. Often patrollers would come to our place looking for runaways. They never caught anyone at our place. Rich people and good people in Williamsport, mostly Quakers
helped in the work."
Daniel Hughes also contributed to the African American community in Williamsport by donating some of his land for use as a cemetery
. There are nine African Veterans of the American Civil War
buried in the cemetery that is commemorated by a Pennsylvania Historical Marker. Hughes is buried in an unmarked grave, according to his wishes, at the cemetery.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
based in Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
-Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was the owner of a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
on the Pennsylvania Canal
Main Line of Public Works
The Main Line of Public Works was a railroad and canal system built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 19th century. It ran from Philadelphia west through Harrisburg and across the state to Pittsburgh and connected with other divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal...
and transported lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
from Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
on the West Branch Susquehanna River
West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...
to Havre de Grace
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Hughes hid runaway slaves in the hold of his barge on his return trip up the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
to Lycoming County, where he provided shelter to the runaways on his property near the Loyalsock Township border with Williamsport before they moved further north and to eventual freedom
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Hughes' home was located in a hollow or small valley in the mountains just north of Williamsport. This hollow is now known as Freedom Road, having previously been called Nigger Hollow. In response to the actions of concerned African American citizens of Williamsport, the pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
name was formally changed by the Williamsport City Council in 1936.
Hughes was a man of a mixed racial background. The census of 1850
United States Census, 1850
The United States Census of 1850 was the seventh census of the United States. Conducted by the Bureau of the Census on June 1, 1850, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876 — an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons enumerated during the 1840...
designated him as a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
. He was at least part Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
. He was a giant
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
for his time, standing 6 feet 8 inches and weighing as much as 300 pounds. Hughes moved to Williamsport in 1828 and married a local African American freewoman, Ann Rotch. According to the 1850 census, she too was mulatto. His work on the river and canals gave him an opportunity to take an important role in the Underground Railroad. Hughes' barge and home provided a safe haven for the fugitive slave
Fugitive slave
In the history of slavery in the United States, "fugitive slaves" were slaves who had escaped from their master to travel to a place where slavery was banned or illegal. Many went to northern territories including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed...
s. His property in the hills north of Williamsport was in a densely wooded area that was covered with vines. A series of cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s under the Hughes property provided further cover for the runaway slaves.
Although Daniel Hughes operated in an area of the United States where slavery had long since been banned, this did not mean that many of his neighbors and townsfolk agreed with his stance on slavery. Hughes, his wife and 16 children had to take care in hiding their work to liberate the slaves. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
allowed slave catchers to pursue runaway slaves into the Northern states
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
when they had been previously, under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, forced to stop at the Mason-Dixon Line
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
. Allowing slave catchers to pursue runaways into the northern states made life more dangerous and difficult for all conductors on the Underground Railroad, including Hughes.
Racial tensions in Lycoming County were also at a high in the years following the Muncy Abolition Riot of 1842
Muncy Abolition Riot of 1842
The Muncy Abolition Riot of 1842 occurred in April 1842 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The riot started as an attack on a schoolhouse where an abolitionist speaker, invited by local Quakers, spoke against slavery. The speaker and his host, Enos Hawley, were then...
. Hughes was forced to lead the slaves under the cover of darkness. Local bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s and professional slave catchers from the south sought to capture any slaves that they could. Hughes and his sons tried to work on moonless nights. They also would stretch horse hairs across the trails; the horse hairs were difficult to see, and would cause the slave catchers to be thrown off the backs of their horses, either slowing their pursuit or deterring it entirely. Hughes led the fugitive slaves from his home to the next station in Lewis Township
Lewis Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Lewis Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 1,139 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
near the hamlet of Trout Run on Lycoming Creek
Lycoming Creek
Lycoming Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River located in Tioga and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvania in the United States.-Geography:...
. From there the slaves would work their way north to Elmira
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and eventually to freedom in Canada.
Daniel Hughes' son, Robert, recalled many details of his experiences on the Underground Railroad in his later years. He said about the runaways, "We would hide them in the woods in brush houses. I was just a little boy, but I remember very well carrying meals out to them in the woods. They usually traveled in groups of two or three men. Often patrollers would come to our place looking for runaways. They never caught anyone at our place. Rich people and good people in Williamsport, mostly Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
helped in the work."
Daniel Hughes also contributed to the African American community in Williamsport by donating some of his land for use as a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. There are nine African Veterans of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
buried in the cemetery that is commemorated by a Pennsylvania Historical Marker. Hughes is buried in an unmarked grave, according to his wishes, at the cemetery.