Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 20 minutes ago

---

In May 1830, Parke Dennis packed a bag with his most valued items: a drab cloth coat, grey trousers, and a white fur hat, before fleeing to Chester County. Dennis was enslaved by a farmer in New Castle County, Delaware. Though he reached Pennsylvania’s “free” soil, his freedom was short-lived. He was captured, brought before a Chester County judge, and forced back into bondage. His story was not unique.

While slavery was largely abolished in Pennsylvania by the early 1800s, freedom was far from guaranteed for those who crossed the Delaware-Pennsylvania border. Still, thousands fled to Pennsylvania in pursuit of liberty.

In this virtual event, archivists from the Chester County Archives and the Delaware Public Archives will examine records from our collections that highlight the powerful stories of Delaware’s freedom seekers, and the legal systems that sought to keep them in bondage.

FOLLOW:
Website - archives.delaware.gov
Subscribe - youtube.com/channel/UC7_WXMeC-vpYdJmxBIJR7uQ
Instagram - instagram.com/DEPublicArchives
Facebook - facebook.com/DelawarePublicArchives
Twitter - twitter.com/DEPublicArchive