• About
  • Get Here
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Community & Business
  • Stewardship
PA Wilds Logo
  • Explore
    Landscapes

    Landscapes

    Landscapes are thematic regions of the Pennsylvania Wilds, each with their own character and unique, place-specific experiences.

    Learn more

    Elk Country

    Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds

    Cook Forest and the Ancients

    I-80 Frontier

    Dark Skies

    Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon

  • Take a
    Journey

    Journeys

    Our Journeys are the many roads & byways & trails & waterways that connect our landscapes and inspire your exploration.

    Learn more

    Scenic Route 6

    National Wild and Scenic Rivers

    Kinzua Experience

    North Country National Scenic Trail

    Bucktail Scenic Byway

    Elk Scenic Drive

    West Branch Susquehanna

    Pine Creek Rail Trail

  • Find
    Activities
  • Attend an
    Event
  • Made in the
    PA Wilds
PA Wilds Logo

☰

  • Explore Landscapes

    • Elk Country
    • Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds
    • Cook Forest and the Ancients
    • I-80 Frontier
    • Dark Skies
    • Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon
  • Take a Journey

    • Scenic Route 6
    • National Wild and Scenic Rivers
    • Kinzua Experience
    • North Country National Scenic Trail
    • Bucktail Scenic Byway
    • Elk Scenic Drive
    • West Branch Susquehanna
    • Pine Creek Rail Trail
  • Find Activities
  • Attend an Event
  • Made in the PA Wilds
  • About
  • Get Here
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Community & Business
  • Stewardship

Due to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, please use appropriate precautions when traveling in the PA Wilds and refer to the PA Department of Health for updates.

Celebrate Black History: Maria Molson & the Underground Railroad

  • by Lou Bernard
  • February 28, 2022
  • Share:
Head Back

“The Underground Railroad.” Just the words conjure up adventurous images: secret rooms and hidden tunnels, concealed trap doors and hiding spots. This is despite the fact that most of those never existed. The Underground Railroad, in reality, had very few tunnels and hidden passages. It consisted mainly of brave people, sheltering fugitives in their homes and guiding them to safety.

People like Maria Molson of Lock Haven.

Maria spent her entire life in what is today the I-80 Frontier. Born January 30, 1825, to James and Betsy Cook of Lycoming County, she moved to Lock Haven and bought property at 19 East Water Street. Maria was African American, and her home became a stop on the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War, as evidenced in her obituary.

“In the days before the war of the Rebellion,” her obit reads,”Her house was a refuge for runaway slaves who were fleeing to Canada to escape from bondage. As many as seventeen runaway slaves have been concealed in her house at one time, and she has often related how she dressed the wounded backs of the refugees suffering from the whippings received only a few days before they made their escape from their cruel masters.”

Headshot of Maria Molson photo by Ross Library Lou Bernard PA Wilds

Maria’s obituary marks one of the rare times when a presence on the Underground Railroad can be proven through documentation. Because of the secretive nature of the project, nobody was in a big hurry to leave a lot of written evidence lying around. As a result, many stops and participants can’t be proven, and rely on rumor or assumption for verification. I can’t tell you how many times someone has come to me claiming they’ve found an Underground Railroad site based on some sort of trap door, when the building wasn’t built at the time. (For the record, when you find secret doors and rooms, Prohibition is a much more likely bet.)

Maria was married three times. Her third husband, David Molson, fought in the Civil War, mustering in with Company B, 48th infantry on September 9, 1861. He died on January 19th, 1864, and is buried in Dunnstown Cemetery.

The Underground Railroad route through Lock Haven came up from the southern counties, and then sent escaped slaves along the Susquehanna River to Keating Township, which straddles the Elk Country and Dark Skies landscapes. Many of them settled there. The ones who moved on went to Olean, New York, and then to Canada. Maria was part of their journey, and may have had some assistance.

There is some evidence that the Reverend Joseph Nesbitt of Lock Haven helped to hide slaves and get them to freedom, as well. Nesbitt’s journal, a copy of which is held at the Ross Library in Lock Haven, has certain code words and an indecipherable shorthand, suggesting that the man had secrets to keep. Nesbitt also agonizes over the difference between man’s law and God’s law, suggesting that he was breaking the law for a greater good. Maria attended Nesbitt’s church, Great Island Presbyterian, so it’s a good bet that the two knew each other, and likely teamed up.

Maria died on November 30, 1890, in her home at age 66. Her will left her house to her daughter, Elizabeth. Maria is buried in Highland Cemetery, with a small, unassuming gravestone. Her obituary makes her home the only proven Underground Railroad site in Lock Haven.

I’ve written about Maria and her house repeatedly, and I often point it out on tours of the city. After all, when you find a brave, amazing woman like that, you want to make sure she’s remembered.

Maria Molson's House in Lock Haven Photo by Lou Bernard PA Wilds

Related Articles

In the PA Wilds,1816 was known as a year without a summer


Read More

In the 1800s wilderness of the PA Wilds, there was a healer named Nancy Range.


Read More

The eccentric life of Molly Fox


Read More

More From Our Blog

Author: Lou Bernard
Lou Bernard is a freelance writer, historian, explorer, outdoor enthusiast, and paranormal investigator. A resident of Clinton County, Lou is a staff member at the Annie Halenbake Ross Library. He is a member of the Lock Haven Paranormal Seekers, and investigates old legends and stories from the past.

Back to the blog

Comments:

Explore Landscapes & Journeys

  • Elk Country
  • Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds
  • Cook Forest and the Ancients
  • I-80 Frontier
  • Dark Skies
  • Pine Creek Valley and The PA Grand Canyon
  • Scenic Route 6
  • National Wild and Scenic Rivers
  • Kinzua Experience
  • North Country National Scenic Trail
  • Bucktail Scenic Byway
  • Elk Scenic Drive
  • West Branch Susquehanna
  • Pine Creek Rail Trail

Connect & Learn

  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Our mission
  • Submit your stories
  • Privacy Policy
Newsletter Sign Up
Facebook

facebook

Instagram

Instagram

YouTube

youtube

Twitter

twitter

Copyright 2022 The Pennsylvania Wilds

Site by Pixel & Hammer