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Adams County, PA, is unlike anywhere I have ever lived, and in a positive way.\u00a0 Yet more than a few friends ask: “Why are you there?”\u00a0 My reply: \u201cBecause I married Bob (who is white), and he was here.\u201d\u00a0 Yet the reason why I have come to embrace this place I call home is even more profound: life was bringing me here. Yet everything is different from my norm.<\/p>\n
I’m an African American woman in a primarily rural, majority-white, conservative part of Pennsylvania. Undoubtedly, this draws interest among curious friends. What is this yearning I have?\u00a0 I build bridges, not walls.\u00a0 Though I am here because of a marriage, I choose to stay here because my voice is different.\u00a0 Yet, I am open to crossing the bridge to common ground. So, the bridges I built began by inviting local white women to our farm.\u00a0 I hosted female authors and moderated discussions and Q&As, and we sold books. My guests were enveloped in a beautiful landscape, vegetable and herb gardens, historic structures, one registered as a Civil War Building, and healing spaces I created on the land, notably Serenity Grove. The magic happened, and I had a powerful sense of calm I never felt in my city life.\u00a0 I had found my purpose without fear or doubt.<\/p>\n
Yet, some in my network were doubters. One friend I’ve known since childhood in Richmond, Virginia, calls me Green Acre<\/em>s on my Facebook page. This is his comparison of me to Ava Gabor’s socialite character in the 1960\u2019s to 1970\u2019s TV sitcom Green Acres<\/em> and her failure at farm life.\u00a0 I decided to show rather than tell and launched weekend experiences for Black women and men in my influencer network.\u00a0 First came \u201cWhen Sisters Gather In Gettysburg,\u201d in August and September 2022.\u00a0 Next was \u201cPower Couples Weekend\u201d last August.\u00a0The farthest away guests traveled from California.\u00a0Judge Dwayne Woodruff and his wife, Joy; Jerry and Dr. Milton Allen; Dr. Eveldora Wheeler and her husband,\u00a0Attorney Donald Seaton; Roxanne Epperson; Renee Aldrich; Soul Pitt’s own Donna Baxter Porcher and her husband, David C. Porcher, came from Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n The weekends began with a Friday night soul food dinner at our farm.\u00a0 Saturday was a day to discover Gettysburg yet in ways that resonate with who we are culturally.\u00a0 Sunday’s closing breakfast left most guests with a desire to return. Why?\u00a0 Because Gettysburg is rich in charm and history.\u00a0 Recognized as one of the Best Small Towns in America by Smithsonian Magazine<\/em>, USA Today<\/em>, and U.S. News Travel<\/em>, the Borough attracts over a million tourists each summer.\u00a0 Many come because of the battlefields.\u00a0 The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War and led to slavery\u2019s end.\u00a0 President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on Cemetery Hill in the Soldiers\u2019 National Cemetery.<\/p>\n Speaking of cemeteries, Lincoln Cemetery was unknown to many beyond Gettysburg before Jean Howard Green, President of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, assumed leadership.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBlack men could join the war, which led to the formation of the United States Colored Troops. The ‘Sons of Goodwill’ formed when Gettysburg’s Black soldiers returned from battle in 1867. The purpose was to establish a final resting place for Black veterans. Segregation was the law, even in death,\u201d Jean shares. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Basil Biggs, a Black veterinarian, was hired to disinter bodies from temporary cemeteries, place them in coffins, and rebury them.\u00a0 Biggs is buried in Lincoln Cemetery. “Lincoln Cemetery is the only concrete evidence of a Black community in Gettysburg,” Jean concludes. Her tour is a highlight for each group I have hosted, with some making tax-deductible contributions to the cemetery. Says Joy Woodruff, “I enjoyed going to Lincoln Cemetery, which has all kinds of history; it was a real lesson for me.”<\/p>\n Curt Musselman, who chairs Historic Gettysburg Adams County’s\u00a0Preservation Committee, also guides tours for the McAllister\u2019s Mill Underground Railroad Station. McAllister was an abolitionist, and the mill was an important station on the Underground Railroad.\u00a0 Curt expounds: \u201cIn 2011, HGAC successfully nominated the McAllister’s Mill Site to the National Park Service (NPS) Network to Freedom (NTF), and we began tours that summer. The site is within the authorized boundary of the Gettysburg National Military Park, yet privately owned. Because it is close to Gettysburg, the site is convenient for tourists and locals. HGAC is interested in telling the full history of Gettysburg and Adams County rather than just the story of who shot whom and where,\u201d Curt concludes.<\/p>\n Curt continues: \u201cFeedback is not just positive; it’s overwhelmingly so. We receive glowing comments about our tours.\u00a0 People appreciate that we are making an effort to tell the story of the freedom seekers who came through Gettysburg and put to rest the lie of the ‘happy slaves.’ Everyone should know about the causes of the Civil War and the resistance to slavery exemplified by the activities of the Underground Railroad,\u201d Curt concludes.<\/p>\n Gettysburg is rich in cultural organizations that speak to various market segments.\u00a0 This month, Gettysburg will launch the Black History Trail.\u00a0 Eleven locations on the self-guided tour will paint a picture of Gettysburg’s Black heritage.\u00a0 Destination Gettysburg, the tourism arm of Adams County, is among the partners bringing life to what Wayne E. Motts, president emeritus and historian of the Gettysburg Foundation, says \u201cis a great educational initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n Destination Gettysburg shares that \u201cthe partners are open to discussing and suggesting ways to accurately interpret the stories and history of Black citizens in Gettysburg before, during, and after the battle. Most of what is included in this first iteration of the trail evolves around the time of the battle because those stories are well-documented and included in partner offerings. But the partners know and understand that many more stories must be told. The group’s initial goal was to ensure the places included had a compelling and clear story associated with them and could give visitors quality experiences. Partners reviewed at least 30 other markets around the country that have already developed Black history and heritage trails, whether in a digital or printed format. The experience and contributions of the Black community are an integral part of Gettysburg’s story, and we hope that the Black History Trail will amplify that message,\u201d says Destination Gettysburg President and CEO Karl Pietrzak.<\/p>\n I will offer more articles in this space that shed light on Adams County, its people, unique and exciting places to visit, and other factors that make it an attractive destination for Blacks and multicultural audiences. Questions? Comments? Email me at patricia@stoneofsconefarm.com.<\/p>\n This article was first published in Soul Pitt Quarterly Print Magazine (Summer 2024). Copyright Soul Pitt Media. All Rights Reserved. Adams County, PA, is unlike anywhere I have ever lived, and in a positive way.\u00a0 Yet more than a few … Continue reading This article was first published in Soul Pitt Quarterly Print Magazine (Summer 2024). Copyright Soul Pitt Media. All Rights Reserved.<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"