Parker Kidnapping & Rescue
West Nottingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Emboldened by the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, Maryland slave catchers kidnapped Rachel and Elizabeth Parker from the Nottingham area in 1851. Rachel's employer Joseph Miller was murdered in a failed attempt to rescue her from Baltimore. Public outrage led Pa. officials to seek the sisters' release in a Md. civil court case that secured their freedom in 1853. The forcible enslavement of two young free black women galvanized antislavery sentiment.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1851, emboldened by the harsh new Fugitive Slave Law, Maryland slave catchers seized Rachel and Elizabeth Parker — two free Black women — from the Nottingham area. When Rachel's employer, Joseph Miller, tried to win her back in Baltimore, he was murdered. The outrage drove Pennsylvania officials to fight for the sisters in a Maryland court, which finally secured their freedom in 1853.
Why it matters
The kidnapping of two free Black women dramatized how the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law endangered every African American, galvanizing antislavery sentiment on the eve of the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Rachel Parker
- · Elizabeth Parker
- · Joseph Miller
Related events
- · Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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