The Christiana Resistance, commonly referred to as the "Christiana Riot," occurred in September of 1851 in Christiana, Pennsylvania, a borough in Lancaster County. The events known as the Christiana Resistance include an attack from slaveholders in Maryland on the inhabitants and home of William Parker (1821-1891), a free Black man living in Christiana, Pennsylvania. The slaveholders crossed the state border, and attempted claim and return the Freedom Seekers as their property, under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
The violent confrontation resulted in the death of Edward Gorsuch, a slaveholder, and the escape of William Parker to freedom in Canada. Edward's son, Dickinson Gorsuch, was
wounded and taken to the farm of Levi Pownall, where the Pownall family nursed him back to health. Historically, this event challenged the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and is considered a
precursor to the Civil War.
The collection contains 2 distinct series: documents and photographs, from 1803-1971. Documents include: land drafts and deeds, correspondence to and from the Pownall family regarding the incident, notes regarding kidnappings in the area from 1850-1851, photocopied pages of Dickinson Gorsuch's diary, and published accounts of the event, memorializations, announcements and a radio drama related to or inspired by the Christiana Resistance event of 1851.
Contained in the photograph series are photographs of: the event place and places related to the Christiana Resistance, the Pownall farm, event monuments, daguerreotypes of key figures and survivors of the resistance.
Moores Memorial Library (Christiana, Pa.) owns some of the most significant manuscript material relating to the Christiana Resistance. The staff of Moores Memorial Library, part of the Library System of Lancaster County, and the Lancaster County Historical Society worked together to arrange and preserve the collection and create a finding aid to make the materials accessible to the public.
Funds for this project were provided by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in 2001.
Admin/Biographical History
The Christiana Resistance, commonly referred to as the "Christiana Riot" occurred in September of 1851 in Christiana, Pennsylvania, a borough in Lancaster County. The events known as the Christiana Resistance include an attack from slaveholders in Maryland on the inhabitants and home of William Parker a free Black man living in Christiana, Pennsylvania. The slaveholders crossed the state border, and attempted claim and return the freedom seekers as their property, under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
The violent confrontation resulted in the death of Edward Gorsuch, a slaveholder, and the escape of William Parker to freedom in Canada. Edward's son, Dickinson Gorsuch, was wounded and taken to the farm of Levi Pownall, where the Pownall family nursed him back to health. Historically, this event challenged the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and is considered a precursor to the Civil War.
System of Arrangement
Series 1 Manuscript and Printed Material, 1803-1955
The digital images of the manuscript and printed material are 300 dpi JPGs; the photographs are 600 dpi JPGs.
Object Name
Archive
Language
English
Object ID
CHRISTIANA RESISTANCE
Location of Originals
Moores Memorial Library
9 West Slokom Avenue
Christiana, PA 17509
chrlib@christianalibrary.org
610-593-6683 or 610-593-6687
Access Conditions / Restrictions
The attached images have been provided for research. The original items are restricted for preservation purposes.
Copyright
The attached images may be used for research purposes only.
Please contact Moores Memorial Library for high resolution images and permission to publish:
Moores Memorial Library
9 West Slokom Avenue
Christiana, PA 17509
chrlib@christianalibrary.org
610-593-6683 or 610-593-6687
Credit
Christiana Resistance Collection, Series #, Folder #, Moores Memorial Library
Classification
CHRISTIANA RESISTANCE
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Moores Memorial Library (Christiana, Pa.) owns some of the most significant manuscript material relating to the Christiana Resistance. The staff of Moores Memorial Library, part of the Library System of Lancaster County, and the Lancaster County Historical Society worked together to arrange and preserve the collection and create a finding aid to make the materials accessible to the public.
The collection contains correspondence to and from the Pownall family regarding the incident, notes regarding kidnappings in the area from 1850-1851, photocopied pages of Dickinson Gorsuch's diary, and published accounts. An 1896 photograph shows Peter Woods and Samuel Hopkins, survivors of the riot. There are also photographs of the Christiana Riot House, the Pownall farm, and key figures in the riot and at the Treason Trials of 1851.
The staff of Moores Memorial Library, part of the Library System of Lancaster County, and the Lancaster County Historical Society worked together to arrange and preserve the collection and create a finding aid to make the materials accessible to the public. Funds for this project were provided by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in 2001.
The attached images have been provided for research. The original items are restricted for preservation purposes. The digital images of the manuscript and printed material are 300 dpi JPGs; the photographs are 600 dpi JPGs.
Please contact Moores Memorial Library for a high resolution image and permission to publish:
Moores Memorial Library
9 West Slokom Avenue
Christiana, PA 17509
chrlib@christianalibrary.org
610-593-6683 or 610-593-6687
The digital master files are stored at LancasterHistory.
LancasterHistory
230 N. President Ave
Lancaster, PA 17603
archives@lancasterhistory.org
(717) 392-4633
Funds for this project were provided by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in 2001.
Credit
Christiana Resistance Collection, Series 2, Folder 5, Moores Memorial Library
Insert 1 Peter Woods and family, survivor of the Christiana Riot and Treason Trial defendant. 9 September 1911. Front Row, left to right: Mrs. Peter Woods, Peter Woods, Aunt Mary
Back Row, left to right: Howard Woods, Susan Woods, James Woods, Annie Woods, Percy Woods, Harry Woods, Leora Woods, Eugene Woods.
Note: Other children of Peter Woods not shown are: Jacob, Sumner, Ida, Tillie and Peter Woods Jr. (Information by Mrs. Lillian Speed of Parkesburg, Pa.)
Insert 2 Centennial Commemoration Ceremony, 9 September 1951.
The attached images have been provided for research. The original items are restricted for preservation purposes. The digital images of the manuscript and printed material are 300 dpi JPGs; the photographs are 600 dpi JPGs.
Please contact Moores Memorial Library for a high resolution image and permission to publish:
Moores Memorial Library
9 West Slokom Avenue
Christiana, PA 17509
chrlib@christianalibrary.org
610-593-6683 or 610-593-6687
The digital master files are stored at LancasterHistory.
LancasterHistory
230 N. President Ave
Lancaster, PA 17603
archives@lancasterhistory.org
(717) 392-4633
Funds for this project were provided by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in 2001.
Credit
Christiana Resistance Collection, Series 2, Folder 12, Moores Memorial Library