The Dr. Batholomew Fussell House in Kennett Township is part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, thanks to Chadds Ford teen Bella Hanson and her mother, writes Alfred Lubrano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Fussell and his wife, Lydia, were abolitionists, using their home as a refuge for more than 2,000 enslaved people.

Bella Hanson is a Kennett High School sophomore, described by Principal Jeremy Hiritz as a “once-in-a-lifetime student.”

Bella, 15, a poet, is extraordinarily busy. 

She organized a Juneteenth ceremony at the Dr. Bartholomew Fussell House; created the first “I Matter” poetry and art competition inspired by Black Lives Matter soon after that.

She’s running her second annual nationwide poetry and art contest.

She received a commendation from Gov. Tom Wolf, appeared on Nikelodeon and was featured in Forbes magazine.

She joined Lady Gaga’s social justice foundation , leads her schools’ student equity and diversity council and joined the track team.

Her poetry took on special meaning after the death of George Floyd.

“I had to give voice to what I was feeling,” she said. “And the killing really motivated me into thinking about what I could do to explain why Black lives matter.”

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about Bella Hanson.