BIDDEFORD – Pro-and antislavery forces were adamant and unwavering in the Biddeford-Saco area in the 1800’s, making for a dangerous time for abolitionists to get involved in the Underground Railroad. But they did, putting their lives and fortunes in peril by breaking the law—the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. One church, the Pavilion Church of Biddeford, even split over the issue of slavery.

While history books focus on the prominence of Harriet Beecher Stove and Hannibal Hamlin when recounting Maine’s connection to the Underground Railroad, thousands of people from Kittery to Fort Fairfield formed a network of illegal “safe houses” and helped a reported 140,000 slaves escape to Canada. Among those who resisted the law were residents of Biddeford, Alfred, Berwick, Waterboro, Parsonsfield, Porter, Newfield, Eliot, and Kennebunkport.

Author Mark Leslie will speak on Maine’s Underground Railroad at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at McArthur Public Library at 270 Main St. Biddeford. Sponsored by the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center and McArthur Public Library, the presentation is open to the public.

Leslie’s novel, “True North: Tice’s Story,” which was a Publishers Weekly featured book, weaves a tale of the dangers of this time in history. Southern Mainers, he said, risked heavy fines and jail terms to operate “way stations” on the “railroad,” where they hid, fed and transported escaping slaves.

“The state’s Underground Railroad itself was a marvel of secret connections from churches to hack stands, second-hand clothing stores, and people’s homes,” Leslie said. “Slaves sometimes escaped aboard ships, but more often northward on land.”

By many estimates, half of Maine residents favored slavery in the mid-1800’s. So those who helped escaping slaves had to be extraordinarily careful, for they faced heavy fines and imprisonment if caught.

The winner of six national magazine writing awards, Leslie has written 13 books including the historical novel A Cause Most Splendid, which in 2022 was named Best Novel of the Year by the American Family Association. His book, The Crossing, tells the story of the Ku Klux Klan’s devastating effect on a small Maine town in the 1920’s. His contemporary action/adventures include: Operation Jeremiah’s Jar, The Last Aliyah, The Three Sixes, and Chasing the Music. He first burst on the literary scene in 2008 with his novel Midnight Rider for the Morning Star, based on the life of Francis Asbury, America’s first circuit-riding preacher.

A question-and-answer period as well as a book signing will follow Leslie’s talk.

Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center is sponsoring this presentation in conjunction with McArthur Public Library. Refreshments will be provided. Tickets will also be available for the BCHC Vacationland Raffle.

For more information about the event, contact Diane Cyr at bchc04005@gmail.com or (207) 283-3993.

To learn more about the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center, go to biddefordculturalandheritagecenter.org.