Freedom Flight (2023)

Theater Play

There are many stories of the Underground Railroad in communities throughout the northern United States. History, and its propensity to weave fact and fiction, has left us with images of runaway slaves making their way from one safe spot to the next through dark tunnels or under the stars, aided and abetted by well-meaning and purposefully networked White Northerners. The “Underground Railroad” surely did help freedom seekers along but it was, by and large, an unorganized system of Black people helping Black people, especially in its early years. Some stories have prized fiction over fact, while others, preserved through public record and oral history, only appear larger than life.

One such story, is that of Addison White, a man whose freedom journey from Kentucky to Mechanicsburg, Ohio became one of the most famous cases in the history of the Underground Railroad. After taking refuge on the farm of a local abolitionist, White was trailed by Federal Marshalls enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act. When the Marshalls raided the house looking to take Addison prisoner they were greeted with unexpected resistance. The town of Mechanicsburg prevented the arrest and drove the Marshalls out of town. The subsequent legal battles, which were eventually settled in a federal court, inspired the people of the small village to take up a collection and buy Addison’s freedom. White went on to settle in Mechanicsburg, got married and has family still living in the area to this day.

Producer: Chris Westhoff

Writers: Daniel Carlton, Chris Westhoff

Music: Daniel Carlton, Chris Westhoff

Director of Photography: Cameron James Henderson

2nd Cam Op: Cait Rowe