William C. Goodridge
York, York County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Here lived an ex-slave, born 1805, who became a prominent York businessman, 1824-1863. Tanner, newspaper distributor, barber. Erected York's first five-story building. His 13 rail cars operated commercially and were used in his work for the Underground Railroad.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born into slavery in 1805, William C. Goodridge built a remarkable life of enterprise in antebellum York. Tanner, barber, and newspaper distributor, he prospered enough to raise York's first five-story building and to run a small fleet of rail cars. Those same cars did quieter, riskier work: carrying freedom seekers northward along the Underground Railroad.
Why it matters
Goodridge's story fuses Black entrepreneurship with the clandestine fight against slavery, a reminder that the Underground Railroad ran on the courage and resources of free and formerly enslaved African Americans.
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Related people
- · William C. Goodridge
Related events
- · Underground Railroad
Themes & tags
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