Central Pennsylvania African American Museum - Reading, PA
Posted by: 
Janila
N 40° 20.235 W 075° 55.080
18T E 422026 N 4465594
Central Pennsylvania African American Museum, previously known as the Bethel A.M.E. Church, is located at 119 N. 10th Street, Reading, PA.
Waymark Code: WMZ5PR
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/14/2018
Views: 0
I have been wanting to visit this museum for several months after I accidentally discovered it while going through the city of Reading taking pictures for Waymarking. The hours are very limited because the museum is manned by volunteers but I am so happy that I finally had the opportunity to visit. The museum is small but it is packed full of information. The site is a the Bethel A.M.E. Church which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of ten different locations for connections to the Underground Railroad in Berks County.
The tour takes you on a historical journey from the beginning of slavery to the election of Barrack Obama as President and focuses a large portion of the tiny museum to the Underground Railroad in Berks County. The volunteer took me to see the opening in the floor to the basement where the little tunnel was built under the church. Twenty people could fit in this tunnel.
One of the items I found most interesting was the quilt method of communication. Since the slaves were not supposed to know how to read and write, they would hang a quilt with a secret message in the design. For example, they might hang a north star quilt over a fence or a washline. This particular quilt pattern indicated that they should follow the North Star to freedom in Canada. The volunteer also explained to me that the slaves would sing songs which contained a code providing instructions on where to go for help.
I had a fantastic morning in this museum and hope that whomever logs finds on this Waymark has the opportunity to do the same thing. The hours are very limited but it was definitely worth the trip.
Admission is:
Guided Tours = $10.00
Self Guided Tour = $8.00
Senior Citizens and Students with ID = $6.00
Children 5 - 12yrs = $4.00
Children 4 and under = Free
Address:
119 N. 10th Street
Reading, PA USA
19601
Web site: [Web Link]
Site Details: Wednesday and Fridate from 9:30 - 12:30, other hours by appointment
Open to the public?: Public
Name of organization who placed the marker: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 1996
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