Ohioans and residents of the Mahoning Valley can take great pride in their state’s history as a vital component of the Underground Railroad and its role in the larger and successful anti-slavery movement of the 19th century.
That’s why it is exciting to learn from Gov. Mike DeWine, the state Department of Development and TourismOhio that the Ohio Historical Underground Railroad Trail is expanding.
New additions recently have been added to the trail, such as the John Gee Black Historical Center in Gallipolis, Lucy Depp Park in Powell, the Gabriel Smith Memorial Gateway to Freedom Display at the Preble County District Library in Eaton and the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center in Findlay.
Many of the sites are also part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage tour.
Yes, folks, THIS is the “heritage” it is appropriate to celebrate. In fact, the Ohio General Assembly has supported $500 million to be invested in the Appalachian Community Grants Program that will help make some of these sites important tourist destinations and education opportunities.
“The Underground Railroad isn’t just one story; it’s hundreds of stories, told in every corner of Ohio,” said State Tourism Director Sarah Wickham.
To be sure, the Mahoning Valley played a pivotal role in those stories and in the success of this path to freedom for enslaved Americans.
According to local historical societies, several Underground Railroad routes are documented as passing through our region. One prominent route followed what is now state Route 45, passing through Salem and Warren on its way to Ashtabula and ultimately freedom in Canada.
Another more eastern route had several stops in its path through Canfield, Youngstown and Brookfield.
Today, the Salem Historical Society offers trolley tours that focus on important sites in the abolitionist movement. The tours include key sites such as the Anti-Slavery Bugle newspaper published in Salem and a number of documented Underground Railroad houses in the area. The tour costs $15 per person; reservations can be made by calling 330-337-8514.
Trumbull County also rose as a major center of Underground Railroad and abolitionist activity. Today, the Sutliff Museum in the main branch of the Warren-Trumbull County Library features a fitting memorial to anti-slavery activists Levi and Phebe Sutliff of Warren. With 150 miles of escape routes and safe houses in Trumbull County (more than any of the 87 other counties in Ohio) the Sutliff family played a crucial role in Northeast Ohio’s Underground Railroad, and the museum chronicles the family’s abolition reform activities and political involvement.
What’s more, The Vindicator edition of The Tribune Chronicle owes its roots to anti-slavery sentiment. The Youngstown Telegram, which William F. Maag Jr. purchased for The Youngstown Vindicator in 1936, began in 1852 as the Free Democrat, an exclusively anti-slavery newspaper.
Understanding this state’s and this Valley’s prominent roles in the movement to free African Americans from the degrading shackles of slavery make news of expansion of the Underground Railroad Trail throughout Ohio even more meaningful.
“We are proud that Ohio played such a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad,” DeWine said. “Through this trail, we are inviting the world to see the rich history that makes Ohio such a special place to explore.”
As the Ohio Department of Development put it, the expansion of the trail during this International Underground Railroad Month honors “the courage of freedom seekers and the communities that helped them.”
THAT is who we are, in the Buckeye State. If you’re having trouble believing it, explore the trail and find out for yourself.
