International Underground Railroad Monument
William and Elizabeth King and their children James, John, Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Catherine and William after selling their land holdings in Ireland, were among the first pioneers in this area, purchasing Section 24, June 4, 1834, in the Six Mile Woods. Son William hated slavery, however, he purchased slaves as the Rector of Louisiana College's Mathews Academy and for his own plantation. He also inherited slaves upon the deaths of his wife and daughter in Edinburgh, Scotland. While there, he completed divinity studies at the New College of the Free Church of Scotland, an anti-slavery church.
On May 5, 1848, Reverend King and his fifteen slaves began an epic journey culminating in Canada. They embarked on a perilous 1,500-mile odyssey from East Feliciana, Louisiana, up the Mississippi River through the deep South, and on the Ohio River to Cincinnati. They traveled on the Ohio canal system to Toledo, then went overland to the King Farm in Delta, a known Underground Station. The homestead had become a Sabbath Center with services in the barn, which led brothers John and William to establish the First Presbyterian Church of Delta. The fifteen freed slaves were put under the care of the King families on the homestead for fifteen months. Reverend King then proceeded to Canada to arrange for the Elgin Settlement/Buxton
this page online
Buxton became a mecca attracting fugitives fleeing slavery in the United
States, providing landownership, integrated classical education, self-
government, independence, and religion. It was a center of industrial
and intellectual achievement and became the most successful community
created for fugitives. William garnered international recognition as a
skilled Underground Railroad conductor with missionary zeal, as he joined
with world figures in the struggle to end slavery. He was honored among
prominent abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison,
John Brown and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe portrayed Reverend King
and his wife, Mary Phares, as characters in her novel, Dred: A Tale of the
Great Dismal Swamp.
Erected by National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom.
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion. A significant historical date for this entry is May 5, 1848.
Location. 41° 33.539′ N, 84° 0.092′ W. Marker is in
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Reverend William King (here, next to this marker); John King and King Family Cemetery (here, next to this marker); Wabash Cannonball Trail (approx. ¼ mile away); Delta Unknown Dead Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Delta World War II Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Delta Korean War Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Delta Soldiers Memorial Monument (approx. 1.3 miles away); Afghanistan War Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Delta.
Also see . . .
1. Underground Railroad of Northwest Ohio.
Rev. William King (1812 -1895)(Submitted on June 18, 2021, by Mark K Lozer of Wauseon, Ohio.)
The King Family settled in Northwest Ohio south of Delta Ohio in 1834 on Section 24. William King went down to Louisiana where he met and married Mary Phares who died leaving him 15 slaves.
2. Dedication Ceremony article from 2013. (Submitted on June 18, 2021, by Mark K Lozer of Wauseon, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 185 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 27, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
