Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad

On Thursday, January 26, join LancasterHistory for our first Regional History Colloquium of 2023 featuring Towson University’s Dr. Andrew Diemer discussing his latest book, Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad.

William Still was born free in New Jersey, the youngest son of parents who escaped from slavery on the eastern shore of Maryland. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, Still organized an abolitionist network that aided hundreds of freedom seekers who passed through Pennsylvania. Still published the stories of these freedom seekers in one of the most important manuscripts to document that secretive network. Towson University professor Dr. Andrew Diemer joins LancasterHistory to discuss his new biography of William Still, the Father of the Underground Railroad.

Andrew Diemer, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of History at Towson University, where he has taught since 2011. He received his Ph.D. from Temple University, and is the author of The Politics of Black Citizenship: Free African Americans in the Mid-Atlantic Borderland, 1817-1863 (University of Georgia Press, 2016). He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

EVENT DETAILS & HOW TO REGISTER

This event is expected to take place in person at LancasterHistory on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Doors open and the reception begins at 5pm. The lecture will begin at 5:30pm. The lecture will also be streamed to Zoom at 5:30pm for those who wish to join us virtually. Copies of Vigilance will be available for sale in the Museum Store while supplies last. Dr. Diemer will be available to sign copies of his book starting at 5pm.

This program is free and open to the public. In-person attendance requires advance registration in order to guarantee a seat. Due to capacity restrictions, tickets may not be available at the door. Virtual attendance requires advance registration in order to receive the Zoom link. Register online by clicking the appropriate link below or by calling (717) 392-4633. Registration will close online on Thursday, January 26 at 5:30pm. The online version of this program will also be recorded and uploaded to LancasterHistory’s YouTube channel after the event.