The Power of Place: The Mifflin Farm and Pennsylvania’s Path to Freedom

On the banks of the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, a quiet farm once stood at the center of extraordinary history. Long before the phrase “Underground Railroad” was even coined, Jonathan and Susanna Mifflin opened their parlor to freedom seekers, while decades later the same land became a Civil War flashpoint when Confederate forces advanced toward the Susquehanna just days before Gettysburg. In this episode, host Sydney Harris speaks with Peter Miele, Senior Project Leader at the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, about the layered legacy of the Mifflin Farm, the grassroots movement that saved it from development, and its future as the Susquehanna Discovery Center and Heritage Park. From preserving local stories of courage to shaping a national destination for history, art, and reflection, this site shows how Pennsylvania’s landscapes hold the power to change lives, and the course of a nation.