WRIGHTSVILLE, Pa. — Juneteenth was commemorated at the historic Mifflin Farm in York County, where community members participated in a guided hike and paddle tracing the journey of freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad while highlighting the Administration’s investment in the future Susquehanna Discovery Center and Heritage Park.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn joined the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania, Bethel AME’s Living the Experience and the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association for Juneteenth programming celebrating the site’s significance in Pennsylvania and American history.

“This site is integral to telling the story of Pennsylvania’s fight to end slavery while bringing that history to life for a new generation of visitors,” Dunn said. “As we celebrate Juneteenth, we’re reminded that freedom was not experienced equally by all Americans, and preserving places like this helps future generations better understand our past while inspiring a stronger future.”

The event also highlighted the Shapiro Administration’s continued investment in preserving one of Pennsylvania’s most significant Underground Railroad sites and transforming it into a destination for education, recreation, and heritage tourism.

The 79-acre Mifflin Farm is a documented Underground Railroad site and the location of a pivotal Civil War battle. Through the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, DCNR invested $2.1 million to conserve the property and support its transformation into the future Susquehanna Discovery Center and Heritage Park over the next decade. Additional investments from the Department of Community and Economic Development, the York County Commissioners, the National Park Service, The Conservation Fund, local organizations, private donors, and community members helped open the site to the public in 2025 for the first time in more than two centuries.

The Susquehanna National Heritage Area is planning a discovery center and heritage park featuring walking trails that interpret the Underground Railroad and the Civil War battle in Wrightsville, a pivotal event in the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. Once complete, the site will also include a museum showcasing an extraordinary collection of Susquehanna River art, bringing to life the region’s rich cultural, natural, and historical heritage.

The events included a roundtable discussion led by DCNR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Director Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith and screening of the 1989 film Glory, which dramatizes the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first official African American regiments in the Union Army that included hundreds of Pennsylvanians. On Saturday, Secretary Dunn joined participants for a guided hike and paddle following the approximate route used by freedom seekers traveling between Wrightsville and Columbia. At the conclusion of the paddle, the Lancaster County Commissioners presented a Juneteenth proclamation to SNHA officials.