University District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Underground Railroad on University Land
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
1. The Underground Railroad on University Land Marker #4
Inscription.
The Underground Railroad on University Land. . Joseph Sullivant, a member of the first Board of Trustees of Ohio State, was known as a “friend of the colored race.” He grew up in Kentucky but developed a distaste for slavery after witnessing a slave auction. Another Ohio State board member (and Professor of Agriculture) with similar beliefs was Norton Strange Townshend. Townshend served twice as a delegate to the World's Antislavery Convention. As a member of the Ohio General Assembly, he also helped to repeal Ohio's “Black Laws,” regulations that greatly restricted the lives of African Americans. Sullivant and Townshend Halls were named for these illustrious leaders.
Joseph Sullivant, a member of the first Board of Trustees of Ohio State, was known as a “friend of the colored race.” He grew up in Kentucky but developed a distaste for slavery after witnessing a slave auction. Another Ohio State board member (and Professor of Agriculture) with similar beliefs was Norton Strange Townshend. Townshend served twice as a delegate to the World's Antislavery Convention. As a member of the Ohio General Assembly, he also helped to repeal Ohio's “Black Laws,” regulations that greatly restricted the lives of African Americans. Sullivant and Townshend Halls were named for these illustrious leaders.
Erected 2006 by Ohio Staters, Inc. (Marker Number 4 of 5.)
Location. 39° 59.849′ N, 83° 0.681′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the University District. It can be reached from West 12th Avenue. Marker is about 150 feet NNE of Enarson Hall (Old Ohio Union), 154 W. 12th Avenue, on The Ohio State University campus. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
2. The Underground Railroad on University Land Marker #4
Looking south toward Enarson Hall (Old Ohio Union) in background.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,874 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
