Mount Vernon Cemetery in Chambersburg has been designated as a site in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, administered by the National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior.

A traditional burial ground for African Americans from the Chambersburg community, Mount Vernon Cemetery has been authenticated by the National Park Service and the Network to Freedom staff as a site associated with the history of the Underground Railroad by virtue of the cemetery's status as the final resting place of Henry Watson (1813-1898). The Cemetery also holds the remains of twenty-six African American veterans of the Civil War.

Watson was a barber and business owner who helped to arrange the secret meeting between Frederick Douglass and John Brown at a quarry on the western edge of Chambersburg, the historic seat of Franklin County. There, on August 19, 1859, discussions were held on the abolitionist Brown's plans for the impending raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The ill-fated raid occurred on October 16, 1859. At the meeting, John Brown tried unsuccessfully to enlist Frederick Douglass in his plans.

The NPS designation provides recognition and certification of the national significance of Mount Vernon Cemetery. While this designation does not provide automatic protection, preservation or funding by the federal government, inclusion in the Network to Freedom allows those caring for the site to apply for competitive matching grants from the National Park Service when the U.S. Congress appropriates funding for this program. These matching grants can assist in making physical changes or improvements to the site; to pay for the cost of conducting additional research and documentation; and/or to pay for the cost of installing displays, exhibits, signage, and development of programs that will explain the Underground Railroad history of the site to the public.

Cemeteries are archives of history and help existing generations to connect to past generations. Through the efforts of Michael Rideout and Louise Slaughter, who serve as stewards of the Cemetery along with the Board of the Lebanon Cemetery Association and the Mount Vernon Memorial Association, the gravesite of Henry Watson is preserved as a vital link to the Underground Railroad.

In 2007, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau (FCVB) formed the Franklin County Underground Railroad Coalition to identify the Underground Railroad stories and sites in Franklin County. In 2008, FCVB engaged Randolph Harris, who successfully researched and developed National Park Service Network to Freedom applications for Christiana and other south central Pennsylvania communities, to assist in researching and documenting Underground Railroad history of Franklin County. In addition to the Mount Vernon Cemetery, the effort has yielded Network to Freedom designations for Thaddeus Steven/Caldeonia Iron Works in Greene Township and the John Brown House/Mary Ritner Boarding House in Chambersburg.  In addition, the Franklin County Historical Society-Kittochtinny, as a repository of Franklin County historical information, has provided essential assistance in this county-wide Underground Railroad research effort.

Mount Vernon Cemetery now joins forty-five other designations in Pennsylvania as a member of this prestigious national program. For a list of those designations, visit:

http://home.nps.gov/ugrr/TEMPLATE/FrontEnd/network_d.cfm. To learn more about the Underground Railroad experience in Franklin County, visit www.ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com.

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