"Living the Experience" is a spiritually, creative, living historical production of the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. Individuals such as Eliza Parker, Rev. Stephen Smith, Rev. Jarena Lee, and Lydia Hamilton Smith tell their courageous stories about their work on the Underground Railroad.  Intertwined in the production are the Spirituals of a people searching for and leading Africans to a life of freedom. Following the reenactment, a Southern buffet style meal is served. The Underground Railroad was a network of "stations" that enslaved Africans used to escape. The Lancaster Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was one of these active "stations."

This railroad made stops from the shores of the Carolinas, from the hills of Georgia, to the border of Canada. The tracks were built on faith and conviction. The fuel was D.I.E.S.E.L.: desire, ingenuity, endurance, salvation, energy, and longing. The cars were made of people seeking their freedom. The cars were pulled by engines such as Harriet Tubman with numerous conductors such as Ezekial Thompson and William Whipper keeping the train on track.

Do you know the role the A.M.E. church played in liberating enslaved Africans? Were you aware that residents of Lancaster County were directly involved in freeing enslaved Africans?

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