African American Population of the Lykens Valley Area, 1860

The African American population as reported in the 1860 Census for selected areas of the Lykens Valley area is presented in today’s blog post.

In 1860, African Americans were enumerated in two “free” categories:  (1) Black; and (2) Mulatto.  These categories were combined in a category called “Total Free Colored.”

African Americans were not found as a significant percentage of the population in any of the communities in the Lykens Valley area.  Harrisburg (in Dauphin County), however, had a population of more than 13,000, with African American comprising  nearly 10% of that total, five times greater than the percentage of the state as a whole.

The 1860 Census shows a concentration of African Americans in a stretch of communities along what is now Route 25 beginning with Gratz-Lykens Township, continuing east through Hubley Township, Hegins Township, through Tremont and ending at Pottsville.  This line of communities intersects the Tulpehocken Path that crosses the mountain from Berks County, continues through Pine Grove (where there is also a small concentration of African Americans), and crosses the Lykens Valley as is heads toward the Klingerstown Gap.  This gives some support to the theory that the Tulpehocken Path was one of the Central Pennsylvania routes of the Underground Railroad.  This route lacked the railroad “connections” that were found along the Susquehanna River, but because there were no railroads on this route and because it was more rural and isolated, it may have been considered safer than the river route.

In looking at the Northern Central Railroad “river route” communities between Harrisburg and Sunbury, it is noticed that competitively fewer African American resided in those communities than in the more rural areas between Gratz and Tremont.  For example, Millersburg, a railroad junction, had only one African American resident in 1860.

Along the route of the Lykens Valley Railroad, very few African Americans resided.  Note that Washington Township (which included Elizabethville and Oakdale, or Loyalton) had only two African American residents and Wiconisco Township and Lykens Borough had none. See:

Smaller Stations En Route on the Lykens Valley Railroad

The data tables below present the census information for selected areas of Dauphin County, Schuylkill County and Northumberland County:

Dauphin CountyTotal WhiteTotal Free ColoredAggregate
Dauphin Borough66911690
Gratz & Lykens Township30310313
Halifax Township139891407
Harrisburg12084132113405
Jackson Township1111121123
Jefferson Township8630863
Lykens Borough126901269
Middletown22401522392
Mifflin Township143001430
Millersburg9601961
Reed Township4331434
Rush Township1110111
Upper Paxton Township128031283
Washington Township9122914
Wiconisco Township252202522
Schuylkill CountyTotal WhiteTotal Free ColoredAggregate
Barry Township9430943
Branch Township158511586
Foster Township133101331
Frailey Township114901149
Hegins Township1072301072
Hubley Township52711538
Minersville402314024
Pine Grove2806112817
Porter Township3600360
Pottsville93191259444
Reilly Township289192900
Schuylkill Haven2916112927
Tremont1934101944
Upper Mahantongo Township7824786
Northumberland Co.Total WhiteTotal Free ColoredAggregate
Jackson Township7170717
Jordan Township9555960
Northumberland110081108
Shamokin2147122159
Sunbury1793101803

In later posts on this blog, it is expected that the actual names of the African American residents in Lykens Valley communities, as found in the census of 1860, will be presented, along with some information as to what happened to those families over the years and whether as well as whether or why not descendants of those families still reside in the area.

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Previously posted on The Civil War Blog on May 25, 2013.

Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.

[African American]