Abraham Depp Freedom Station

Abraham Depp Freedom Station. Underground Railroad Marker. , Side A , No one was more fiercely committed to the Underground Rail Road than former slaves.They knew first-hand the darkness and despair of bondage. Such was Abraham Depp (1791- 1858), known as Abram, born a slave on a tobacco plantation in Powhatan County, Virginia. When he was ten (18o1), slave-holder John Depp issued an emancipation deed for Abram, mother Lucinda (1765- 1857), and his siblings awarding them 500 acres in Powhatan County upon John and wife Elizabeth’s deaths. In 1806, Virginia law required freed slaves to leave the state or risk arrest for loitering and sale back into bondage. As he waited, Abram became a skilled blacksmith, industrious and trustworthy. Abram’s freedom moment came in 1831 when John Depp passed. Abram was 40. Thereafter, Abram’s life changed quickly. He inherited property “both land and negroes,” but some family members remained in bondage while Mrs. Depp lived. On March 19, 1832, Abram’s petition to the Virginia General Assembly was granted for the privilege of residing in the county unmolested. for two years to dispose of his property and make arrangements for his departure from the Commonwealth. On March 5, 1834, Abram and wife Mary registered their marriage. He then journeyed north to Columbus, Ohio where he found other free blacks from Virginia- all freedom activists. He met abolitionist Joseph Sullivant, son of Lucas Sullivant, founder of Columbus.

Side B , In February 1835, Elizabeth Depp died. Within two weeks, Abram's family sold their Virginia acreage and immigrated to Ohio, while the remaining Depp slaves were sold. Abram's wife Mary died on the trip north. In June, 1835, Abram paid $1100 to Joseph Sullivant for 300 acres in Concord Township. Upon settling on his land, Abram established a Baptist church and an Underground Railroad station using a limestone cave along the Scioto River (since flooded in 1925 by the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir). It was sad that Ethelred (Dred) Weaver and others operated between the Friend Street (Main Street) Station in Columbus and the Depp Station. Abram had three children with his wife Mary, including son Aurelius who attended Oberlin College and later joined the 27th Ohio Colored Troops with step-brother John (1864). They fought in Virginia during the Civil War. Abram had six children with second wife China (1838), one of whom was Lucy Depp Whyte. It is said that the bell at Lucy Depp Park was once used as an “all clear” signal for runaways making their way from Columbus to the Depp Station.