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In 1840, a majestic hotel called the Monongahela House stood at the corner of Smithfield Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard in Pittsburgh. The six-story hotel was beautifully appointed and manned by Black “waitstaff” who treated its many famous guest like royalty. (“Fugitive”). Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, and McKinley were guests at the hotel. Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Buffalo Bill, and the future King Edward VII of England were just a few more of the renowned lodgers. It was rebuilt on an even grander scale in 1847 after a fire ravished the building. As Pittsburgh was extremely abolitionist, Black staff members used the hotel for clandestine anti-slavery meetings where escape plans were hatched and coordination with local businesses and “railroad stations” such as Vashon’s bath house and Pecks Oyster House were concocted. (“Fugitive”). This fine hotel remained there for 95 years, however a bus depot eventually took its place.

"Fugitive Slave Laws and Great Escapes. the Monongahela House." Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh in the 18th and 19th Centuries., University Library System. U of Pittsburgh, 2009, exhibit.library.pitt.edu/freeatlast/ fugitive_laws.html. Accessed 8 Aug. 2020.