Pennsylvania: Boone’s Farm

For generations, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has been home to places that played an important role in the journey of African Americans seeking freedom, opportunity and a better life. During the era of the Underground Railroad, taverns, churches, farms and private homes became safe places for escaped enslaved people traveling north.

One of those historic properties is the Boone Farm in Langhorne. Built in 1716 along the banks of Core Creek, the property carries more than three centuries of history. Its story also connects to the Great Migration, when approximately six million African Americans moved from the rural South to Northern states during the 20th century in search of jobs, economic opportunity and safer communities.

By the 1930s and 1940s, Boone Farm had become an important source of employment for African Americans in Bucks County. Steady, well-paying jobs gave families the opportunity to establish roots, raise their children and build new lives in the community.

Today, the historic farmhouse has been transformed into the African American Museum of Bucks County, providing a permanent home for stories that might otherwise be lost. Seven rooms and four niche exhibit spaces guide visitors through the rich and often overlooked history of African Americans in Bucks County and the surrounding region.

The museum preserves this heritage through exhibitions, educational programs and community events for families, students and adults. Its collections and programs highlight the people, cultures and experiences that helped shape the community, bringing greater visibility to both well-known figures and the individuals whose contributions have remained largely untold.

For their state preservation and restoration program, "Pennsylvania Questers Grants Matter," Whimsies #476 presented a check for $1,000 to the African American Museum of Bucks County for the museum to purchase a museum quality case for the display of an early printing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.

 From the Underground Railroad to the Great Migration and beyond, the Pennsylvania Questers understands that museum demonstrates how places such as Boone Farm can connect generations to the people and stories that shaped Pennsylvania's history.