LANCASTER, Pa. – On Thursday, May 22, LancasterHistory will welcome historian, educator, and museum professional Dr. Iris Leigh Barnes for a talk on "Eliza Parker and The Christiana Resistance." The free and open to the public lecture will take place at the museum's 230 N. President Avenue headquarters.

In the early 1840s, Eliza Ann Howard fled enslavement at Belle Vue Plantation in Harford County, Maryland and found a home in Lancaster County where she met her husband, William Parker. When, in 1851, a Maryland enslaver threatened their lives and the lives of others in their community, they fought back in what became known as the Christiana Resistance. Dr. Iris Leigh Barnes will retell the story of the Christiana Resistance through the often-overlooked figure of Eliza Parker.

Dr. Iris Leigh Barnes is an award-winning historian, educator, and museum professional with twenty-five years of experience. Her scholarly interests range from the Civil War to Civil Rights with a particular focus on the tenacity, resilience, and brilliance of African Americans who survived and thrived against the odds. Dr. Barnes is currently the Executive Director of the Hosanna School Museum and serves on the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission, the board of the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center, and was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
  

The lecture "Eliza Parker and The Christiana Resistance" will take place in person at LancasterHistory on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Doors open and a light reception begins at 5pm, followed by the lecture at 5:30pm. The lecture will also be streamed to Zoom at 5:30pm for those who wish to attend the program virtually.

This lecture is free and open to the public. In-person attendance requires advance registration in order to guarantee a seat. Virtual attendance requires advance registration in order to receive the Zoom link. The Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the day of the program. To register, please select the applicable link below or call 717.392.4633 to register over the phone with a LancasterHistory staff member.

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON

REGISTER TO ATTEND ONLINE