The Chester County History Center has a packed calendar of events in September that are sure to inform and fascinate participants:

The Underground Railroad in West Chester: A Walking Tour
Wednesday, Sept. 1 from 6:15-7:15 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 6:15-7:15 PM

The Underground Railroad was a network of people, black as well as white, offering shelter and aid to enslaved men, women, and children escaping from the South. This family-friendly walking tour will visit eight locations around downtown West Chester that played a part in these struggles toward freedom and equality.

The tour covers approximately 1.25 miles and lasts 80 minutes. The tour is entirely outdoors; sidewalks and terrain may be uneven. The event is rain or shine.

The Lynching of Zachariah Walker: Death in a Pennsylvania Steel Town
Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 7-8 PM

On a warm August night in 1911, Zachariah Walker was lynched — burned alive — by an angry mob on the outskirts of Coatesville, a prosperous Pennsylvania steel town. At the time of his very public murder, Walker, an African-American millworker, was under arrest for the shooting and killing of a respected local police officer. Investigated by the NAACP, the horrific incident garnered national and international attention. Despite this scrutiny, a conspiracy of silence shrouded the events, and the accused men and boys were found not guilty at trial.

Dr. Dennis Downey is an Emeritus Professor of History at Millersville University and co-author of Coatesville and the Lynching of Zachariah Walker: Death in a Pennsylvania Steel Town.

Virtual Book Discussion: A Woman of No Importance
Thursday, Sept. 16 from 10-11 AM

Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall — an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman’s fierce persistence helped win the war.

“What Heart So Hard”: The Hanging of Elizabeth Wilson
Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 PM

In 1786, Elizabeth Wilson, a farmer’s daughter from Chester County, became the last woman executed for infanticide in Pennsylvania. Her controversial court case led to an outcry against one of the most arbitrary laws ever passed in the Commonwealth and challenged the sexist nature of the 18th-century legal system. Her story went on to be shaped — and at times entirely fictionalized — throughout the course of the 1800s to reflect the changing values of American society.

Genealogy 101: Back to Basics
Saturday, Sept. 11
Saturday, Sept. 18
Saturday, Sept. 25
Saturday, Oct. 2

The Chester County History Center, along with Chester County Archives & Records Services, will host its 30th annual genealogy workshop series this fall.

The series will emphasize the basics of genealogy, and each individual lecture will focus on a foundational skill or strategy necessary for beginners and seasoned genealogists alike to uncover their family history.

There will be four virtual lectures, each hosted by a different genealogy expert.

Check out the Chester County History Center’s calendar to register for these events.