Community members, elected leaders, historians, and members of the local Black community gathered in Camden recently for the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating two noteworthy residents and the area’s link to the Underground Railroad.
Two brothers, William and Nathaniel Hinkley, worked with famed Underground Railroad Conductor Harriet Tubman to smuggle slaves from the South to freedom in the North. The network of routes, clandestine shelters, and guides was most active during the Antebellum period.
The site of the marker, on the grounds of Caesar Rodney High School, is the former location of Brinkley Hill, a free black community that served as an Underground Railroad stop.
State Rep. Lyndon Yearick (R-Camden, Wyoming, Woodside) said the new marker was a community-driven effort that involved a local social studies teacher, his son, descendants of the Brinkley brothers, and the Delaware Public Archives.
The $2,575 cost of the marker was financed by Rep. Yearick through his Community Transportation Fund allotment.
