Major Thomas Boude, Steven Smith, & Roots of the Underground Railroad
Course | Registration opens 12/7/2026 8:00 AM EDT
Social and political movements and great upheavals such as war are often created by a spontaneous uprising or a violent act. Such is the case of one of the earliest "origin stories" about where and how the Underground Railroad Movement began. The Thomas Boude & Stephen Smith incident of 1804 in Columbia, Lancaster County, PA is one such event. This single-session course will explore this event in context with the often vague and misunderstood nature of the Underground Railroad, which has been characterized as America's first civil rights movement.
Randy Harris
Randolph Harris is a Pennsylvania native and currently a resident of Lancaster. His practice for 40 years centers on community development projects, sustainable land use practices, and historic preservation initiatives. Harris' work has focused on advocacy, concept planning, and related real estate developments to bring new uses to abandoned, underutilized properties. He specializes in research and documentation of Underground Railroad sites.