Female Anti-Slavery Historical Marker

On this spot stood the headquarters of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society (PFASS). Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875) was its co-chair for two decades. PFASS was founded by her husband Robert and Lucretia Mott in 1833. Harriet was born to the influential James Forten family, the wealthiest of free blacks in the city. Like her father, she and her husband leveraged their wealth and influence for the cause of abolition, work in the underground railroad, and for women’s suffrage. Harriet’s Quaker faith animated her work.