Underground Railroad site in York County to open to public this spring

• LNP|LancasterOnline Staff
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Mifflin Farm, a 79-acre site in Wrightsville, has a lot of history.

The Farm includes the Mifflin House, which housed enslaved people traveling to freedom on the Underground Railroad. It also was the site of a key battle in the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign during the Civil War.

And come spring, it will open to the public for the first time.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced that Mifflin Farm will open for public access this spring.

The Susquehanna National Heritage Area is planning a discovery center and heritage park at the site, which will include walking trails interpreting the history of the Underground Railroad and the Civil War battle that took place in Wrightsville. The farm will be transformed into the Susquehanna Discovery Center and Heritage Park within 10 years, according to a news release. There will also be a museum showcasing a collection of Susquehanna River art.

The site is located just across the Susquehanna River from Lancaster County.

Through the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, DCNR invested $2.1 million in grant funds to support the conservation of the farm, which will be transformed into the Susquehanna Discovery Center and Heritage Park within 10 years.

The Susquehanna National Heritage Area is also forming an Underground Railroad Work Group of local historians and community members who will work to develop a “meaningful, research-based visitor experience” inside the Mifflin House.

“This site is integral in telling the story of Pennsylvania and its fight to end slavery,” said DCNR secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, who visited the site Feb. 6. “As we celebrate Black History Month, we must not forget those who fought for their own freedom, risking their lives to travel the Underground Railroad North. We must also remember those who fought for what was right, despite the prevailing norms of the time.”

The site’s opening is made possible by investments from DCNR, the Department of Community and Economic Development, the National Park Service, The Conservation Fund, several York County organizations and private donors.

In 2017, Lancaster County historian Randy Harris spoke to LNP after Hellam Township upheld a previous decision to deny an application to demolish Mifflin House. At the time, he called it a “rare but significant victory” for historic preservation.