Yellow Hill with Deb McCauslin

From Pennsylvania Heritage: "Anyone who has ever read about the Battle of Gettysburg or visited the historic American Civil War battlefield undoubtedly learned about the generals, the courageous soldiers who fought in the grisly three-day encounter, and the thousands that lost their lives on that hallowed ground in Adams County. The stories of the famous engagements that took place at Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and the George Rose Farm Wheatfield, as well as the climatic Pickett's Charge, are retold again and again. Not much has been written, however, about the ways in which the battle dramatically affected African Americans residing in and around Gettysburg at the time. In this border county just north of the Mason-Dixon Line, a hotbed of Underground Railroad activity existed, albeit covertly. During those three tumultuous days of bloody conflict in July 1863, many civilians assumed responsibility for taking care of the injured in makeshift hospitals and helping to bury the dead. Some carried food and supplies to the soldiers in the field, while others chronicled the aftermath of the catastrophic event through writings and photographs. For African Americans who lived near the battle, there was great danger in being seen. Many were fugitive slaves from Maryland and Virginia who fled to nearby communities or to the outskirts of Gettysburg for fear of being captured by Confederate soldiers and returned to slavery. Through their oral histories, descendants of African American families that once lived in Gettysburg suggest that their ancestors fled to Yellow Hill, a black settlement in nearby Menallen Township, situated a short distance from the main road that connects Gettysburg to the small communities of Biglerville and Bendersville. Historians believe Yellow Hill not only provided a safe haven during the battle, but also had played an integral part in the Underground Railroad before the outbreak of the war. In his 1992 book, A History of Adams County, Pennsylvania, 1700–1990, Robert L. Bloom, professor emeritus of history at Gettysburg College, wrote, "One such tradition is that fugitive slaves brought by the Underground Railroad founded the Yellow Hill settlement northwest of Biglerville. As a matter of fact, this black community dated back to the eighteenth century, although some of its original settlers may have been fugitive slaves..."   Local historian Deb McCauslin sits down with Matt to talk about the hidden history of Yellow Hill. Deb will also be one an upcoming episode of That's What She Said