Chesterhill

by Gayle Irvin

The trip to Chesterhill (on Wednesday, Jan. 12) included a visit to a house, the basement of which is believed to have been on the trail of the Underground Railroad. This immersion experience also included a drive - deep into the woods to see caves that hid slaves until they could be ferried to safe places. It was a moving experience…one where I could sense the danger and the spirits of the people who came before. It was the Quakers of Chesterhill who hid and ferried slaves, risking their lives and the lives of their families. Their motivation was born out of their beliefs – beliefs in social justice and equality. This experience is a mere footnote in this long immersion week in Appalachia, but it serves as a model of a people whose actions were born out of their religious beliefs, that is, they had a singular purpose, not to convert, but to do justice.