Circleville in Pickaway County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Underground Railroad / The Underground Railroad in Pickaway County
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 22, 2009
1. The Underground Railroad Marker
Inscription.
The Underground Railroad, also, The Underground Railroad in Pickaway County. .
The Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad, but a system of loosely connected safe havens where those escaping the brutal conditions of slavery were sheltered, fed, clothed, nursed, concealed, disguised, and instructed during their journey to freedom. Although this movement was one of America's greatest social, moral, and humanitarian endeavors, the details about it were often cloaked in secrecy to protect those involved from the retribution of civil law and slave-catchers. Ohio's history has been permanently shaped by the thousands of runaway slaves passing through or finding permanent residence in this state.
The Underground Railroad in Pickaway County. Several Underground Railroad conductors and stations were active in Circleville between 1835 and 1860, among them clergymen William Hanby and Immanuel Buchwalter, businessman Phillip Doddridge and black workman George Stanhope (Stanup). In southeastern Pickaway County, Jonathon and George Dreisbach were conductors operating out of Saltcreek Township., After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made any interference with the capture and return of fugitive slaves a serious Federal crime, Colonel Samuel Moore of Circleville became active in the Underground Railroad., Benjamin Hanby (1833-1867), composer of the Anti-Slavery ballad, My Darling Nellie Gray, spent nine of his formative years in Circleville. The Moore House at Court and Mound streets and the Doddridge House at the southwest corner of Scioto and Mound streets are two stations in Circleville that have survived.
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad, but a system of loosely connected safe havens where those escaping the brutal conditions of slavery were sheltered, fed, clothed, nursed, concealed, disguised, and instructed during their journey to freedom. Although this movement was one of America's greatest social, moral, and humanitarian endeavors, the details about it were often cloaked in secrecy to protect those involved from the retribution of civil law and slave-catchers. Ohio's history has been permanently shaped by the thousands of runaway slaves passing through or finding permanent residence in this state.
The Underground Railroad in Pickaway County
Several Underground Railroad conductors and stations were active in Circleville between 1835 and 1860, among them clergymen William Hanby and Immanuel Buchwalter, businessman Phillip Doddridge and black workman George Stanhope (Stanup). In southeastern Pickaway County, Jonathon and George Dreisbach were conductors operating out of Saltcreek Township.
After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made any interference with the capture and return of fugitive slaves a serious Federal crime, Colonel Samuel Moore of Circleville became active in the Underground Railroad.
Benjamin
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Hanby (1833-1867), composer of the Anti-Slavery ballad, My Darling Nellie Gray, spent nine of his formative years in Circleville. The Moore House at Court and Mound streets and the Doddridge House at the southwest corner of Scioto and Mound streets are two stations in Circleville that have survived.
Erected by Ohio Department of Transportation and Friends of Freedom Society.
Location. 39° 35.96′ N, 82° 56.773′ W. Marker is in Circleville, Ohio, in Pickaway County. Marker is at the intersection of Court Street and Mound Street, on the left when traveling south on Court Street. Marker is next to the Moore House. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 304 S Court Street, Circleville OH 43113, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Additional commentary. 1. According to Darlene Weaver with the Pickaway County Historical Society there is no documentary evidence ( letters , diary entries , first person accounts , etc. ) that any of the above or below ground spaces in Circleville were ever used by the Underground Railroad .
Please advise from whence your information comes .
— Submitted November 25, 2013, by Dean Smallwood of Circleville, Ohio.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 22, 2009
3. The Moore House
The Underground Railroad Marker at far right.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 22, 2009
4. The Underground Railroad Marker
Lookin north on Court Street, with Moore House to right and Pickaway County Courthouse at distant left.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 22, 2009
5. The Moore House 1820 Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 7,491 times since then and 192 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
