In the 1840s, William Thomas escaped from slavery in Fauquier County, Virginia and took refuge in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Thomas was a well-respected community member in Wilkes-Barre and was working at the Phoenix Hotel on River Street on the morning of September 3, 1853. Three federal agents recognized Thomas during their breakfast, then attacked him in the middle of the hotel restaurant.

William Thomas, a strong and well-built man, was able to fight off his attackers and made a mad dash to the Susquehanna River. A large crowd of black and white Wilkes-Barre residents immediately gathered. In their midst were the three federal agents, wielding loaded revolvers, threatening to kill Thomas in the water if he did not surrender himself. Thomas famously replied, "You can shoot me, but you can't take me!" At one point, a bullet actually grazed Thomas' head. Locals were later reported to have been yelling to the federal agents, "Shame!" and "Don't hurt him!"

William Thomas eventually escaped upriver, with help from the crowd, who physically put themselves in the way of the three federal agents. Even the Wilkes-Barre sheriff refused to aid the agents. Thomas waded some distance upriver and was found in a cornfield, wounded and exhausted. Several local women came upon Thomas, then carried him to safety and tended to his wounds.

William Thomas eventually made his way to freedom in Canada. The three federal agents were arrested for "inciting a riot" in Wilkes-Barre, but the case was overturned in a federal court.

The story of William Thomas and the help that he received in Wilkes-Barre is an astounding testament to the spirit of the abolition movement in America. The Thomas case also became one of the first challenges to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

We, the undersigned, are now proposing that the City of Wilkes-Barre dismantle its statue of Christopher Columbus and hire a Black artist to replace it with the likeness of Mr. William Thomas, as well as a plaque detailing his incredible story. The public square in Wilkes-Barre should have a statue that reflects our long, rich local history. Frederick Douglass himself said that because of abolitionist efforts in the 1850s, Wilkes-Barre remains “in Immortal Splendor”. Now, more than ever, the stories of Black Americans in Wilkes-Barre must be shared and taught.