Slavery in Chester County (Pennsylvania) | National Council on Public History

Project Details

“Slavery in Chester County” is a portal to resources on slavery in Chester County, a southeastern Pennsylvania county that borders Maryland and Delaware. The portal includes: a video and map detailing the case of Jacob Glasgow, a formerly enslaved man who, in 1803, sued the enslavers of his wife Sall; maps showing the number of enslaved persons in each township in 1765 and 1780; and maps showing the number of enslaved persons by property in seven townships in southwestern Chester County in 1765, 1778, 1780, and 1800.

Subjects or Themes

Pennsylvania – History, Local; Chester County (Pa.)—Maps; Slavery--America—History; Slavery--Pennsylvania--History--18th century; Slavery-Pennsylvania-Chester County; Slavery-Pennsylvania-Delaware County

Project Language(s)

English

Time Period

Geographic Location

Project Categories

Content Type

Video, Mapping, Text

Target Audience(s)

Creators

Cliff C. Parker

Year(s)

2020-2021

Host Institution / Affiliation / Project Location

County of Chester (PA)/Archives and Records Services

Software Employed

Labor and Support

This project originated from research into Jacob Glasgow’s civil suit. It then grew to include mapping the case participants, enslavers in southern Chester County, and the extent of slavery in the County as a whole. The work was done by an archivist as a significant component of his fulltime work.