A ruin located on the Gettysburg Battlefield, it was a significant stopping point on the Underground Railroad (UGRR). Said to have been built by James Getty and another person in 1790, in 1836, it became the meeting ground of a group of men whose fathers had fought in the War of Independence. They were there to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Here, the men organized, and James McAllister was named the mill owner and chair. The men passed several resolutions, including ones around freeing the slaves. The Star & Republican Banner, a Gettysburg newspaper, named the meeting the “Anti-Slavery Meeting at McAllister’s”. Over the years, the Anti-Slavery Society became more influential, and many members began helping slaves from Maryland to escape to the North.
During the Battle of Gettysburg, McAllister’s property was caught in the fighting, and many soldiers were buried on the grounds. Little remains of the mill, and it is privately owned.
Historical Marker Inscription
At their grist mill on nearby Rock Creek, James McAllister and his family provided temporary shelter to hundreds of fugitive slaves. Now in ruin, it was part of one of the earliest UGRR networks through which freedom seekers passed on their way north. It was the site of a significant gathering of abolitionists on July 4, 1836, that led to the formation of the Adams County Anti-Slavery Society, an early and influential abolitionist organization.
Location
39° 48’ 25.872” N, 77° 13’ 0.030” W
1382–1398 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325, United States
Historical Markers of the World 