He was a white man. She, a black woman. He fought to deliver the nation from slavery. She likely was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He fathered three amendments to the U.S. Constitution. She was a confidante who ran his businesses and home. Together, Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith helped create a nation offering equality to all.

It is up to us to tell their story.

Some 150 years ago, Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith helped put Lancaster, Pennsylvania on the map. They’re about to do it again.

What if you could travel back in time to the Lancaster of antebellum and Civil War days? What if you could hear U.S. Congressman and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens deliver his famous speech on the Courthouse steps outlining his plan for Reconstruction of the South? Visit a secret “station” on the Underground Railroad that was very likely conducted by Lydia Hamilton Smith? Experience first hand an era that marked a turning point in America’s history?

We intend to make sure that you can. The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County proposes the creation of the Stevens & Smith Historic Site to honor these two extraordinary Lancaster citizens – Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.

We believe bringing their story to light will help fuel Lancaster’s renaissance, offer extraordinary resources to the city’s residents, and draw visitors from around the country and the world to learn about the role Stevens played in laying the foundation for the modern Civil Rights Movement, free public education, and freedom and equality for all Americans.