Captina African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery. . This cemetery stands as evidence of a once thriving African American farming community established in the 1820s. With the aid of community leader, Alexander "Sandy" Harper (c.1804-1889), Captina, originally called Guinea, became a stop on the Underground Railroad, a national network, shrouded in secrecy, of volunteers who directed slaves northward. Harper is buried in this cemetery, along with Benjamin Oliver McMichael (1865-1941), an educator who taught for twelve years in Captina/ Flatrock at a segregated schoolhouse. There are 113 known burials in the cemetery, including nine Civil War veterans. At this site in 1825, an African Methodist Episcopal Church was established to serve the community. Many of its members left Captina to work in cities, but the church continued services until 1962. The building then fell into disrepair and collapsed during a windstorm in 1978.
This cemetery stands as evidence of a once thriving African American farming community established in the 1820s. With the aid of community leader, Alexander "Sandy" Harper (c.1804-1889), Captina, originally called Guinea, became a stop on the Underground Railroad, a national network, shrouded in secrecy, of volunteers who directed slaves northward. Harper is buried in this cemetery, along with Benjamin Oliver McMichael (1865-1941), an educator who taught for twelve years in Captina/ Flatrock at a segregated schoolhouse. There are 113 known burials in the cemetery, including nine Civil War veterans. At this site in 1825, an African Methodist Episcopal Church was established to serve the community. Many of its members left Captina to work in cities, but the church continued services until 1962. The building then fell into disrepair and collapsed during a windstorm in 1978.
Erected 2002 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, The Dean Martin Committee, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 8-7.)
Location. 39° 56.326′ N, 81° 8.799′ W. Marker is near Barnesville, Ohio, in Belmont County. Marker is on Oakes Place, 0.2 miles Flat Rock Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Barnesville OH 43713, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, November 29, 2014
3. Captina African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
Alexander Harper Grave
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, November 29, 2014
4. Captina African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
Descriptor Stone at base of Alexander Harper's grave
Alexander L. "Sandy" Harper
Underground Railroad Conductor
Died April 11, 1889
Aged 85 years
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, November 29, 2014
5. Captina African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
Benjamin Oliver McMichael Grave
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,178 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 29, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.