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Editor's Note: This Beaver County Landmark is to be sold at auction in the very near future. This article is being presented in the hopes that a buyer will step forward to purchase this historically significant home and restore it to its former glory.
Located near Darlington, Buttonwood, was once
the beautiful and stately home of the noted Beaver County abolitionist,
Presbyterian minister, and United States Consul to Amoy, China,
Arthur Bullus Bradford.
An ardent opponent of slavery, Bradford traveled extensively throughout
western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio lecturing on the evils of
slavery. As he rose to national prominence in the anti-slavery
cause, his lectures took him as far away as Boston and New York.
In addition to his oratory, Bradford was a prolific writer and
helped to spread his message through articles in New Castle, Pittsburgh,
Boston and New York newspapers, as well as through many anti-slavery
pamphlets circulated throughout the nation.
Bradford believed so strongly in the anti-slavery cause that he
put his words and ideas into action. Following 16 years as the
pastor of the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church in Darlington,
Bradford became so upset by the lack of activism on behalf of
slavery by his own church, that he broke away and formed his own
Free Presbyterian Church in 1847.
In addition, Bradford willingly endangered himself, his family
and his home when he made Buttonwood into a stop on the Underground
Railroad, with himself as a conductor. According to Dr. Bausman's
History of Beaver County:
"The Fugitive Slave Law provided a penalty of $1000 upon
any one convicted of assisting slaves to escape, so in order to
protect his wife and children Mr. Bradford temporarily transferred
his property to a friend. But, although oftentimes his neighbors
were bitterly opposed to his course and even threatened him with
tar and feathers, he never suffered personal violence."
Besides the countless number of fugitive slaves who passed through
Buttonwood on their way to freedom, many national figures in the
abolitionist movement also frequently visited there to help pioneer
the end of slavery in America forever. Buttonwood still stands
as the only surviving witness to the important events which unfolded
there.
Today, Buttonwood serves as a reminder of the courage of not only
Arthur B. Bradford, but of the many other Beaver County citizens
who risked everything to stand firm against the evils of slavery.
Unfortunately, as memories often do, the significance of Buttonwood
has faded and has all but been forgotten. Shortly, this historic
property will be put on the auction block to be sold to the highest
bidder, and we can only hope that the new owner will be mindful
of her historical significance and restore the house to its former
grandeur.