For the weekend ahead of Juneteenth, 19th-century Black businesses and the underground railroad were highlight around West Chester and other parts of Chester County, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia. 

Hosted by the Chester County History Center, dozens of people gathered to take a walk through history.

“I saw the advertisement for the tours and it’s something that interested me and I really wanted to learn more about the Black history in West Chester,” said Roberta Matz, of West Brandywine Township. 

Chester County was home to dozens of underground railroad stations. The Freeman House on Barnard Street in West Chester was among the several stops that the tour made on Sunday. 

“I look at the 20 years that I’ve lived here,” said Timmy Nelson, a tour guide at the Chester County History Center. “And I say to myself, I’ve driven by these historic sites for 20 years, did not know the history, so now when I drive by, it’s a totally different story.” 

Nelson led the underground railroad tour, during which he highlighted the difficult path enslaved people had to overcome on their way to freedom. 

Read more about the tours at CBS News Philadelphia. 

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