| FOLLOW THE TRAIL TO FREEDOM |
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The Kelton
House in Columbus was a haven on the Underground Railroad. Now it is a museum. days, a person can make a trip that would have taken escapees weeks. Beginning in Portsmouth, the trip follows U.S. Route 23 from Ohio's southern border all the way north to Michigan. Stops along the Ohio Underground Railroad include the home of William Beecher in |
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In the 1800s, Ohio meant freedom for escaping slaves. The Ohio River separated Ohio from neighboring slave states Virginia and Kentucky, and Ohio was just a Great Lake away from Canada. In addition, many Ohio citizens - abolitionists, religious people and free blacks - provided aid to escaping slaves on the loosely connected network of the Underground Railroad. Using the Underground Railroad was a matter of trusting one's life to the kindness of others. From one day to the next, "passengers" did not know whether they would be staying in a barn, church |
or place of business. More importantly, they did not know if the next person they
met would offer assistance or turn them in. The Friends of Freedom Society raises public awareness about the lives of enslaved African Americans and the Underground Railroad movement. The society has received a community assistance grant from the Ohio Arts Council through the Ohio Hill Country Heritage Area Program. Documented stops along the Underground Railroad in Ohio still stand, beckoning travelers to explore this significant and emotional piece of history. In a few |
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