Kindle
$9.99
Available instantly
Paperback
$15.00
Buy new:
-25% $15.00
FREE delivery Sunday, September 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$15.00 with 25 percent savings
List Price: $19.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Sunday, September 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, September 11. Order within 17 hrs 47 mins.
Only 15 left in stock - order soon.
$$15.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$11.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
The book may have minor cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, minor sunburn, minor water damage, minor bent. The book may have some highlights, notes, underlined pages. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included . Safe and Secure Mailer. No Hassle Return The book may have minor cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, minor sunburn, minor water damage, minor bent. The book may have some highlights, notes, underlined pages. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included . Safe and Secure Mailer. No Hassle Return See less
FREE delivery Sunday, September 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Thursday, September 12. Order within 8 hrs 2 mins.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$15.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Kuleli Books
Sold by
Kuleli Books
Condition
Used - Good
Condition
Used - Good
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

William J. Switala
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania, 2nd Edition (The Underground Railroad) Paperback – August 21, 2008

by William J. Switala (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 52 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.00","priceAmount":15.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"95PO38QkcwW3NXd3eMvvjBjSsq6B%2BswYOrBkvvqnfnlg7X9GikCZwgmz3b%2BklvPhHgVBA1jg6F1%2FMc8IlhkJjeq46pkMfvs1w%2FvfJB2iR5UZ526koQz%2B78FtIss7tqoNfRdeEE8kokI%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$11.00","priceAmount":11.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"95PO38QkcwW3NXd3eMvvjBjSsq6B%2BswYlBq6ZSef1GMhDhDR%2FuiyGGKdqHNSMiXs35vvNliZq9kONW9Y6yj%2Bo6d%2BIERKLs3NDTshdrxqj4SWzCQoiCME%2FW2ngy%2FLn%2FfS8MSVTbyS5SXN0VrwP4WzKA8FcJUjiICs1JAEZc0jP2n68%2BQClYXQJmAPA1a9jGdC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

  • Revised and expanded with recently uncovered information
  • Detailed maps of escape routes and networks
  • Eyewitness accounts of fugitives

    Organized in antebellum America to help slaves escape to freedom, the Underground Railroad was cloaked in secrecy and operated at great peril to everyone involved. The system was extremely active in Pennsylvania, with routes running through cities and towns in all parts of the state.

    This revised second edition retraces the routes with detailed maps, discusses the large city networks, identifies the houses and sites where escapees found refuge, and records the names of the people who risked their lives to support the operation.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    248 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Stackpole Books
  4. Publication date
    August 21, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0811735184
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0811735186
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania, 2nd Edition (The Underground Railroad)
This item: Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania, 2nd Edition (The Underground Railroad)
$15.00
Get it as soon as Sunday, Sep 15
Only 15 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania (American Heritage)
$20.45
Get it as soon as Sunday, Sep 15
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William J. Switala is a former professor of education at Duquense University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the author of several textbooks on Pennsylvania history. He has been researching the Underground Railroad for more than ten years and has lectured extensively on the subject.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stackpole Books; 2nd edition (August 21, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811735184
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0811735186
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
William J. Switala

William J. Switala

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
52 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the history fascinating and intertwined with interesting stories. They describe the book as a wonderful read with so much content that they have to concentrate. Readers also enjoy the style of writing and the flow with which the story is told.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
InterestReadabilityWriting style
5 customers mention "Interest"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the history fascinating and intertwined with interesting stories of some of the agents. They also describe the book as an amazing account of the times.

"...-researched work, written in tight, clear, prose, that uncovers hidden histories and locations of remarkable people working together in the name of..." Read more

"...This book covered so much, I cannot tell you how fascinating this history was to me...." Read more

"...begin to run together in the mind, but this is all interlarded with interesting stories of some of the agents, and escaped slaves, and life in the..." Read more

"It was an amazing account of the times. Very descriptively written." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, interesting, and stellar. They say it's written in tight, clear prose.

"...A really stellar, beautifully-researched work, written in tight, clear, prose, that uncovers hidden histories and locations of remarkable people..." Read more

"...That is where I was born. Wonderful read, I would recommend it to anyone." Read more

"...There was so much content that I really had to concentrate when reading." Read more

"This book is interesting because of the history that correlates with what is going on right now in our country." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style enjoyable and tight. They also appreciate the flow of the story.

"...A really stellar, beautifully-researched work, written in tight, clear, prose, that uncovers hidden histories and locations of remarkable people..." Read more

"...I enjoyed the style of writing and the flow with which the story was told. **..." Read more

"It was an amazing account of the times. Very descriptively written." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Jill Sim
5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely useful resource with maps and descriptions
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
An extremely useful resource with maps and descriptions, examining specific regional routes of Pennsylvania Underground Railroad activity. Also includes short biographies of notable people along the way, often using letters written about and by the actors working within the system. Readers get a good grasp of the specific geographies involved, as well as a feel for mid-century period attitudes, and come to admire and marvel at the courage and selfless of the people who operated the "depots" and "stations" and who ran fugitives to freedom during dangerous times. A really stellar, beautifully-researched work, written in tight, clear, prose, that uncovers hidden histories and locations of remarkable people working together in the name of freedom.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Michael Morris
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful for my purposes by Look Inside version is incorrect
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2010
Verified Purchase
I bought the book and it is very handy for my purposes. However, the Look Inside view is for the first edition and the book I received is the 2nd edition. While normally that isn't a problem, the section I had bought the book for had been eliminated ! Fortunately, I can use the Look Inside view for the information I needed, but it is a bit disappointing to have bought the book for a specific section that had been removed, without comment. There is no preface to the 2nd edition to explain why information about specific stops on the Underground Railorad had been deleted.
15 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
melody nationMelody Nation
5.0 out of 5 stars Underground railroad in Pennsylvanis: 2nd Edition
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
As I am from Pennsylvania I was very interested in this novel. I must say, i did not want to put the book down once I started reading it. This book covered so much, I cannot tell you how fascinating this history was to me. I really had no idea Pennsylvania had an underground railroad, but I even fount out that Meadville was part of this. That is where I was born. Wonderful read, I would recommend it to anyone.
Helpful
 Report
L Miller
3.0 out of 5 stars Careful collation of available data
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
I grew up in a house that was purportedly a railway station and a stop on the underground railway. The house was supposedly built for William Penn's niece, on a land grant from his estate to her. We played as kids in the false-walled passageways in the attic, where escapees were supposedly hidden. At least that's what we imagined. The house backed up to a railroad track that ran level with its second floor. There was a covered porch that linked the house to the land which carried the railroad tracks. I got this book, hoping to see if there was any mention of that house in the stations of the underground railroad network in Pennsylvania. Many places in the area were mentioned (it was a Quaker community, and Quakers were anti-slavery), but I never saw anything that supported my legends about the site.

What I did find was mention of dozens and dozens of communities and stations and people who were involved in helping slaves make their way to freedom all around the state. Before reading this book I had the vague notion that the underground railroad was a loosely connected series of 'stations' manned by 'agents' who helped people make their way along the route to freedom in Canada or in non-slave territories. In fact (and this should be obvious) stations had to be 12 to 25 miles apart--close enough to allow escapees some place safe to rest during the day after they'd traveled at night, usually. I also found it fascinating that while many agents were sympathetic whites, many were freed blacks. And many freed slaves risked capture to escort others out of slave states to free states. In desperation, southern lawmakers crafted laws which levied stiff fines and prison sentences on those who helped slaves escape. Of course non-white helpers were punished even more severely.

The information about routes is collected and presented as probable routes. Exact information was closely guarded and probably died with the agents in most cases. Routes took advantage of Indian trails and roads, and most major centers had 3 to five routes in an out. After several chapters the routes begin to run together in the mind, but this is all interlarded with interesting stories of some of the agents, and escaped slaves, and life in the days and times of slavery. It's also eye-opening to realize that people then were like people now: pro-slavery, anti-slavery or apathetic. And some slave catchers would pose as anti-slavery helpers on the railroad to entice slaves to escape, then return them to their owners for the bounty on their heads. Seems, the more things change the more they remain the same.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
sandi
1.0 out of 5 stars Slow Read....
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Was a very slow read. Does give you information but very dry. If your looking to write a report ok but other wise not fun for general reading.
Helpful
 Report
wesmanlv
5.0 out of 5 stars I found my great great great grandfather written up in this book
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
I found my great great great grandfather written up in this book. I enjoyed the style of writing and the flow with which the story was told. **If you found this review helpful, do vote by replying Yes to 'Was this review helpful' **
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Susan L. Carrier
5.0 out of 5 stars So Interesting!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
There are many aspects of history that we brush across in school and never explore in any depth. This book does that exploration for you and presents the material in a very useful and approachable manner.

I was very happy to have encountered this book and to have learned so much!!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JKammer
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of detail
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you're looking for details of the route of the underground railroad, you will find them here. It would have been nice to have had a map nearby to follow the route.
Helpful
 Report