Thaddeus Stevens was NOT a blacksmith. He owned the 10,000 acres that comprised Caledonia Ironworks. As a leading abolitionist, he advocated for the end of slavery, and it is suspected his Caledonia Ironworks was used as a conduit for the Underground Railroad. In June, 1863 the Army of Northern Virginia marched north into Chambersburg, and then turned east on route 30, heading towards an unknown and insignificant town of Gettysburg. On route, Confederal General Jubal Early burned the village of Caledonia in retaliation for Stevens’ anti-slavery views. In Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film “Lincoln”, Thaddeus Stevens is played by the actor Tommy Lee Jones. Come learn the forgotten and neglected history of Thaddeus Stevens and Caledonia Ironworks.
