Daniel Hughes
Deceased Person
1804 – 1880
Who was Daniel Hughes?
Daniel Hughes was a conductor, agent and station master in the Underground Railroad based in Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. He was the owner of a barge on the Pennsylvania Canal and transported lumber from Williamsport on the West Branch Susquehanna River to Havre de Grace, Maryland. Hughes hid runaway slaves in the hold of his barge on his return trip up the Susquehanna River to Lycoming County, where he provided shelter to the runaways on his property near the Loyalsock Township border with Williamsport before they moved further north and to eventual freedom in Canada. Hughes' home was located in a hollow or small valley in the mountains just north of Williamsport. This hollow is now known as Freedom Road, having previously been called N*gger Hollow. In response to the actions of concerned African American citizens of Williamsport, the pejorative name was formally changed by the Williamsport City Council in 1936.
Hughes was a man of a mixed racial background. The census of 1850 designated him as a mulatto. He was at least part Mohawk. He was a giant for his time, standing 6 feet 8 inches and weighing as much as 300 pounds. Hughes moved to Williamsport in 1828 and married a local African American freewoman, Ann Rotch. According to the 1850 census, she too was mulatto. His work on the river and canals gave him an opportunity to take an important role in the Underground Railroad. Hughes' barge and home provided a safe haven for the fugitive slaves. His property in the hills north of Williamsport was in a densely wooded area that was covered with vines. A series of caves under the Hughes property provided further cover for the runaway slaves.
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