General Meeting

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 Pat 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. Their book, “Slavery, Friends, and Freedom in Bucks County,” will be available for purchase at this event; the full purchase price of $30 goes to the African American Museum of Bucks County’s Capital Campaign.

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.

This event is free for members. Non-members are also welcome to attend, and donations are always appreciated.