Was my house on the Underground Railroad?
Answer
Researching the Underground Railroad history of a house typically involves two research approaches.
One approach is to research the history of the house. In order to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, the house would need to date to the time period before the Civil War.
The second approach is to research the history of the people who lived in the house or the area, and if they had a connection to the Abolition movement or a documented role on the Underground Railroad in Ohio.
Over 4,700 items from the Wilbur H. Siebert Collection have been digitized and are available online at Ohio Memory. Siebert was a professor at the Ohio State University from 1891-1935. His research material; collected over a period of 50 years, includes information on people and places active in the Underground Railroad.
Please visit our research guide for more information on conducting research at the Ohio History Connection.