Dunnings Creek Friends Meeting
285 Old Quaker Church Rd.
Fishertown, PA 15539
September 23, 2024

Dunnings Creek Friends Meeting (Quaker) will present the Autumn 2024 event in their ‘Still Listening’ guest speaker series on local history on October 20. Local author Kevin Mearkle will discuss his recent book The Underground Railroad in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

Bedford County is blessed with an extraordinary amount of information on the local Underground Railroad movement due in part to the numerous local newspapers and the high level of literacy among the people. The geography of this mountain-and-valley region was a major factor leading significant numbers of freedom-seekers to traverse Bedford County. Two slave states, Maryland and Virginia, were in close proximity. The Mason-Dixon Line, shared with Maryland, forms the southern border of the county. Prior to the Civil War, Virginia was less than 10 miles from the border of the county, just across the Potomac. West Virginia split away from Virginia in 1863 over the issue of slavery.

Kevin will share insights gained during the research for the book and answer questions from the audience. Photographs will be shown of the eight structures known to be Underground Railroad stations that are still standing in Bedford County today. Updated information will be shared on two UGRR stories that came to light after the publication of the book. A limited number of copies will be available for purchase.

Kevin Mearkle graduated from Everett Area High School in 1978 and Shippensburg University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in American history. He then lived in Southern California for 25 years before returning home to Bedford County. He retired in 2020 after a 37-year career in the technology industry. He has authored 3 books: Civil War Soldiers of Bedford County (2021), Battlefield Tour Guide of Bedford County Soldiers at Gettysburg and Antietam (2022), and The Underground Railroad in Bedford County, Pennsylvania (2023). Kevin lives with his wife Valinda on farm property near the village of Mattie that has been in his family since 1865.

This Still Listening event will be held at the historic Dunnings Creek Friends Meetinghouse (also known as the Old Brick Quaker Church), 285 Old Quaker Church Road, Fishertown, PA 15539, as well as online via Zoom, on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 2:00 PM. There is no admission charge. Everyone is welcome.
Email dunningscreekquakers@gmail.com for the Zoom link or further information.

Media Contact:
David A. Lewis
(814) 626-0109
dunningscreekquakers@gmail.com
3615 Evitts Creek Rd.
Bedford, PA 15522-5605