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African Americans in Mercer County have a legacy spanning two centuries of progress. Runaway slaves secreted along stations of the Underground Railroad to Liberia, a settlement founded by Richard Travis. Deep religious convictions provided fertile ground for development of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion connection, known as the Freedom Church, and Pandenarium, an experimental colony of manumitted slaves. In the 20th century, southern migrants found employment in the steel industry and became institution builders. William Hunter Dammond, the first African American graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, found employment as a draftsman. The Twin City Elks of Farrell, a unifying force, was the largest fraternal group in Pennsylvania for two decades. Beginning in 1807 with Thomas Bronson, who acquired 200 acres along the Shenango River near Wheatland, through the culmination of today's Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration, African Americans in Mercer County chronicles a people's ongoing journey to freedom.

The African Americans of Sewickley Valley have a history as rich and deep-rooted as the valley itself. Originally pioneered by Quakers and abolitionists sentimental to the cause of enslaved men, Sewickley is noted for containing routes and safe houses for those on the Underground Railroad. Known as an affluent bedroom community, Sewickley is considered the wealthiest municipality along the entire 98-mile stretch of the Ohio River. Early residents brought black servants with them to serve as domestics. As construction increased, many African Americans migrated primarily from Virginia and Kentucky to work in the area as builders. The organization of Sewickley's first African American mission marked the start of a strong and lively course for the African American community. Beginning with Jim Robinson in 1823 through the culmination of today's Come on Home annual reunion, African Americans in Sewickley Valley documents the life and ambition of the African Americans who grew as a vital part of Sewickley's community today.