King-Lincoln-Bronzeville - Mt. Vernon Ave. Marker
King-Lincoln-Bronzeville- Mt. Vernon Ave.
Underground Railroad - Caroline Brown House
Underground Railroad
Born into slavery on the plantation of John D. Brown in Henrico County, Virginia, Caroline Brown came to Columbus with her son Edward and daugther Constantia in the 1850s. Edward built this house for his mother around 1854.
Location: 1200 E. Livingston Avenue
Underground Railroad - Livingston Farm
Underground Railroad
In 1852 Alexander Livingston purchased seventy acres of land, where he established a seed garden business, and eventually improved the tomato. Livingston's farm provided hiding for escaped slaves. His employee, Benjamin Patterson, drove Livingston’s long wagon, "The Ark," which had seats along the sides, and transported escaped slaves to the next station in Granville, Utica or Mt. Vernon.
The home shown above is on the original farm, but was constructed in 1865.
Location: 1792 Graham Road, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
<iframe style="border:0;" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1437516181803!6m8!1m7!1s8EpbiUE1l5g1TJ5bVk6EYg!2m2!1d39.947896!2d-82.796065!3f80.29692114005832!4f2.0858231959952604!5f0.7820865974627469" frameborder="0" width="800" height="600"></iframe>
Underground Railroad - David Graham House
Underground Railroad
David Graham's home on Eppworth Street was built in 1858 and served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Location: 1312 Eppworth Street, Reynoldburg, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Henry and Dolly Turk House
Underground Railroad
Henry and Dolly Turk were the first African-American family to live in Worthington beginning in 1856. They paid $250 for two lots on the northeast corner of Evening and New England. Henry had purchased Dolly's freedom from her master in Virginia in 1838. They used their home as a safe house for escaped slaves seeking freedom.
Location: 108 W. New England, Worthington, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Margaret Agler Home
Underground Railroad
Known as the white house on the bend of the creek, this home was built in 1841. The home includes a basement tunnel that has collapsed but likely led to nearby Alum Creek. It also has has a hidden crawl space, large enough to hold three people, off an upstairs bathroom.
Location: 2828 Sunbury Road, Columbus, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Mattoon/Woodrow House
Underground Railroad
This home was built between 1837-1840 at the northwest corner of High and North Street in Worthington. The house was moved to its present location, 72 E. North Street, in 1932. While on High Street, the property was owned by Ansel Mattoon, who came to Worthington from Vermont. Mattoon was a blacksmith, a member of the Methodist Church, and a member of the Anti-slavery Society of Worthington. In 1854, Mattoon sold the home to Rev. Thomas Woodrow, pastor of the Worthington Presbyterian Church from 1849-1857. Woodrow was the grandfather of President Woodrow Wilson.
Underground Railroad - Christian Heyl House
Underground Railroad
Johann Christian Heyl was the first German in Columbus. He served on City Council for 14 years, was County Treasurer for 8 years, an associate judge in the Court of Common Pleas for 14 years, was appointed to the first public school board, and was the first Chief of the Fire Department. His Sunbury Road home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Built in 1857, this house contained some evidence of a trap door and tunnel that led to a hay barn west of the house.
Location: 1891 Sunbury Road, Columbus, Ohio
Underground Railroad - William Hanby House
Underground Railroad
Marker Text: Bishop William Hanby, (1807-1880) courageous and of strong convictions, publicly voiced his scorn at a law that made it a felony to give food to a hungry slave, or shelter to a friendless man. From pulpit, platform, and workbench he condemned the inhumane Fugitive Slave law of 1850. “We may be bound by a man-made law,” he declared, “but we are more bound by a Lord-given conscience.”
With the help of his family, particularly his son Ben, trusted ally and friend, they worked tirelessly to provide food and shelter to runaways who sought refuge in Hanby's barn with the saddle and harness shop. Working in collaboration with Dr. Lewis Davis, president of Otterbein University, they felt a bond of unfailing loyalty and helpfulness with others in the area, who were also dedicated to the kind of services demanded by the Underground Railroad.
When asked how he - a Christian minister - could deliberately break the law of the land, Hanby replies, “When a man made law is in conflict with God's law, there is no compromise - we choose one way or the other. Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 25:15. These words had been the cornerstone of William Hanby's life.
Location: 160 W. Main Street, Westerville, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Sharp Family Homes
Underground Railroad
Marker Text:
Side A: Sharp Family Homes
The Sharp family homes and their locations on N. State Street and Africa Road mark an important route through Westerville on the Underground Railroad. The family patriarch, Garrit Sharp, was an original settler of Sharp's Settlement, now Westerville, and donated land for and helped organize the first Methodist church. He is also associated with the founding of Blendon Young Men's Seminary, which was acquired by Otterbein College, an institution with enrollment open to African Americans and women from its inception in 1847. He and his sons were all noted abolitionists who, along with Bishop William Hanby and Otterbein president Lewis Davis, assisted southern slaves on their road to freedom. From the Sharp homes, slaves would have proceeded north to the house of Samuel Patterson on Africa Road and along Alum Creek to the Quaker settlement near Marengo in Morrow County.
Side B: Sharp Family Homes
Garrit Sharp's home at 259 N. State Street, built in 1849, served as a Westerville meeting place. His son Stephen, a teacher and justice of the peace, resided in the stately home at 8025 Africa Road, built in 1857-58. The home's construction is representative of mid-nineteenth century rural architecture in Delaware County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Another of Garrit's sons, Joseph, resided at 8216 Africa Road (circa 1843), also known as Yarnell's Farm. Son Garry built a house (circa 1857) on the current property of St. Paul's Catholic Church on N. State Street; however, the house was demolished in 2001.
Location: 8025 Africa Road, Westerville, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Kimball House
Underground Railroad
Hannibal H. Kimball used his two-story barn to hide runaways until he could get them to the barn of Samuel Chamberlain further east.
Location: 452 Kimball Place, Columbus, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Zenus Jackson Home
Underground Railroad
Built in 1856, this property was encircled by mounds built by the Adena Indians. It contained two "blind rooms" in the basement.
Location: 3845 Westerville Road, Columbus, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Ozem Gardner House
Underground Railroad
Ozem Gardner came to Ohio from Otsego County, New York in 1817. An active member of the Worthington Anti-Slavery Society, he operated an underground railroad station from his home on Flint Road. He traveled the area selling fresh vegetables with hidden runaways piled beneath. He built the brick farmhouse above in 1850. Perhaps as many as 200 fugitive slaves passed through this home on their journey to Canada.
Location: 8221 Flint Road, Worthington, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Neil Mansion
Underground Railroad
This home was built by Robert Neil in 1856 and later owned by his brother Henry Neil. Ambrose and Catherine Juris were servants for the Neil family for many years. The cellar contains a small enclosed room that may have been used to hide runaway slaves.
Location: 1842 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, Ohio
Underground Railroad - Clinton Chapel/ Southwick Funeral Home
Underground Railroad
Rev. Jason Bull conducted services in the Clinton Chapel (Methodist Episcopal Church) at this site while his daughter took food and water to runaways hidden in an interior room.
Location: 3100 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio