Ellen and William Craft: A Love Story

LancasterHistory welcomes Ilyon Woo, the author of The New York Times best seller, Master Slave Husband Wife, which tells the story of a couple’s bid for freedom through disguise, determination and daring. By posing as a White disabled man (Ellen) and his Black slave (William), the two traveled more than 1,000 miles from Georgia to Philadelphia in 1848,  eluding slave traders, military units and even friends of their enslavers along the way. When their story was revealed, they readily shared it with audiences across New England, often taking to stages with luminaries such as Frederick Douglass and others. But their story wasn’t quite finished. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act (1860) forced them to seek freedom once again, with their escape taking them to England. Numerous media outlets and literary organizations named this as one of 2023’s best books of the year. 5 p.m. reception/book signing. 5:30 p.m. lecture.