Covington in Kenton County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Slave Escape / Controversial Judgment

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016

1. Slave Escape / Controversial Judgment Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

SLAVE ESCAPE

On a snowy night in January 1856, seventeen slaves fled, at foot of Main Street, across frozen Ohio River. Margaret Garner was in this group. When arrested in Ohio, she killed little daughter rather than see her returned to slavery. This much publicized slave capture became focus of national attention because it involved the issues of federal and state authority.

CONTROVERSIAL JUDGMENT

Decision regarding Margaret Garner fueled fires of abolition. Fugitive returned to master. Garner wished to remain in Ohio, even at risk of death for her crime. She was returned to Ky., with master's agreement to extradite her to Ohio. But soon afterward Garner was sent south and never heard from again.

Presented by City of Covington

Erected 1990 by Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 1863.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans

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• Women. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1856.

Location. 39° 5.05′ N, 84° 31.041′ W. Marker is in Covington, Kentucky, in Kenton County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street and West 6th Street, on the left when traveling south on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Covington KY 41011, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Casper Ottens House (within shouting distance of this marker); Formerly Bremen Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Built by John B. Kohls (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Major League Baseball (about 700 feet away); Goebel Park (about 800 feet away); German Gothic Glockenspiel Clock Tower (about 800 feet away); Frank Duveneck (approx. 0.2 miles away); Una Merkel ~~ Film Star (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Covington.

Also see . . .
1. Margaret Garner (Wikipedia). "Margaret Garner (called "Peggy") was an enslaved African-American woman in pre-Civil War America who was notorious – or celebrated – for killing her own daughter rather than allowing the child to be returned to

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016

2. Slave Escape / Controversial Judgment Marker

slavery. She and her family had escaped in January 1856 across the frozen Ohio River to Cincinnati, but they were apprehended by U. S. Marshals acting under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Margaret Garner's defense attorney, John Jolliffe, moved to have her tried for murder in Ohio, to be able to get a trial in a free state and to challenge the Fugitive Slave Law as well....Her story was the inspiration for the novel Beloved (1987) by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey (1998), as well as for her libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), composed by Richard Danielpour." (Submitted on February 18, 2019.)

2. Margaret Garner Incident (1856) (blackpast.org). (Submitted on February 18, 2019.)

Slave Escape / Controversial Judgment Marker - wide view, looking east on West 6th image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 26, 2016

3. Slave Escape / Controversial Judgment Marker - wide view, looking east on West 6th

<i>The Flight of the Garner Family</i> - mural on Covington floodwall nearby image. Click for full size.

Mural by Robert Dafford

4. The Flight of the Garner Family - mural on Covington floodwall nearby

The mural shows the family crossing the Ohio River in January 1856, with Covington in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 19, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 544 times since then and 207 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 18, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.