McAllister's Mill Underground Railroad Station - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 48.435 W 077° 13.005
18S E 310239 N 4408714
A brand new marker (as of 2012) recalls a stop in the Underground Railroad which aided fugitive slaves.
Waymark Code: WMGF81
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 02/25/2013
Views: 10
McAllister's Mill was on Rock Creek about a quarter mile north of where it crosses Baltimore Pike. Said to have been built by James Gettys and another man around 1790 on the site of an even earlier mill built by Samuel Gettys in the 1760's, it became the property of James McAllister in 1822. James was a staunch abolitionist, and the mill became an important station on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves would be hidden in the cog pit of the mill, relatively safe from pursuing slave catchers while they rested for the next stage of their journey north.
The McAllister Farm was used as a hospital during and after the battle. A number of soldiers were buried on the grounds, and McAllister put in a claim for $1,200 worth of damages.
Over the years the mill fell into disrepair and eventually collapsed. There are little more than ruins on the site today, which is privately owned.
The millpond dam also deteriorated and the pond that was upstream of the mill is no longer there. This has changed the depth of Rock Creek, which at the time of the battle was probably much more of an obstacle from the Spangler's Spring area south then it is today. SOURCE
The newest Gettysburg historical marker is next to a golf course parking lot on the edge of the battlefield. The marker reads:
At their grist mill on nearby Rock Creek, James McAllister & his family provided temporary shelter to hundreds of fugitive slaves. Now in ruin, it was part of one of earliest UGRR networks through which freedom seekers passed on their way north. It was site of a significant gathering of abolitionists on July 4, 1836, that led to formation of Adams County Anti-Slavery Society, an early & influential abolitionist organization.
Underground railroad tours of the McAllister Mill Site are set to begin on May 4th, 2013. The McAllister Mill site is privately owned and is not open to the public. However, persons interested in the story of the Underground Railroad at the site will be able to join tours conducted as fund raisers by Historic Preservation Society of Gettysburg which has the permission of the site’s owner to access the property. For more information, call 717- 659-8827.