One of the first non-Quaker members of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, Judge Peters entertained many of the nation's Founding Fathers here. Visitors can tour the Underground Railroad property and learn the role the mansion's attic played in providing a safe haven to fugitive slaves.
In 1800, Judge Peters was responsible for determining the fate of 134 Africans, who were illegally enslaved and shipped on American vessels violating the 1794 Slave Trade Law. Peters turned the Africans over to the stewardship of the PA Abolition Society, thereby enabling the African to become the first free persons in Pennsylvania. Descendants of the "Ganges" reside in Pennsylvania today.