The Christiana Riot

The Christiana Riot is a Pennsylvania historical marker in SW of Christiana, Lancaster County, dedicated 1998.

Lancaster County · dedicated 1998 · south side of Lower Valley Rd., ~.75 mile east of Brick Mill Rd., Sadsbury Twp., SW of Christiana

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The 1850 federal Fugitive Slave Act strengthened the position of slaveowners seeking to capture runaways. Pursuing four escaped slaves, Maryland farmer Edward Gorsuch arrived Sept. 11, 1851, at the Christiana home of William Parker, an African American who was giving them refuge. Neighbors gathered, fighting ensued, and Gorsuch was killed. This incident did much to polarize the national debate over the slavery issue.

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

The Christiana Riot

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