As part of the effort to support the official destination of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway as a state byway in southeastern Pennsylvania, the project included (1) research of the history and locations along a proposed route to most effectively reflect the progress of Harriet Tubman through Chester County, Pennsylvania, along with related locations illustrating the work of African American, Quaker, and other abolitionists and the African American experience in the region, (2) preparation of the needed documentation for an application to support official designation, (3) development of an inspiring Byway story, (4) liaison with Department of Transportation officials regarding appropriate ordinances and other requirements to have the Byway designated, (5) compilation of the material into an application, complete with images and maps.
After the official designation of the Byway, the project expanded to include (6) convening of an Advisory Committee to evaluate the stories in the area to be told, (7) development of a new website to illustrate the Byway story, the history of the Underground Railroad in the area, and ten story topics, each enhanced with individual stories to promote a greater understanding of the Underground Railroad in Chester County and the importance of the location to the enslaved who, upon reaching Pennsylvania, crossed “just over the line” into a new legal environment in a state that began eliminating slavery in 1780, more than 80 years before the Civil War.