Preservation

Preservation of Ohio's Underground Railroad sites is a key initiative of the Ohio Underground Railroad Association.

The Importance of Preservation

The Ohio Underground Railroad was something extraordinary.  People of all races, religions and walks of life "did the right thing".  They disobeyed the law and helped fugitives escape from the abomination of slavery.  Today, as we continue to struggle with race relations, we have much to learn from the history of the Underground Railroad.  The Friends of Freedom Society and Ohio Underground Railroad are strong advocates of preserving our local history.  Please join with us in documenting Ohio's endangered sites and also in calling for funding for preservation.   

Endangered Sites Initiative

YOU SEE THEM EVERY DAY ALL ACROSS OHIO. Houses, barns and other buildings that are literally falling down, piece by piece. Maybe it's a neighboring house that is an eyesore in your community, abandoned and becoming more deteriorated with each rainfall ... or an old church where no one has gathered for a decade, or a beautiful stone mill staring out at the road, or a crumbling cemetery.

Following the guidelines set by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual Most Endangered Historic Places listing, the Friends of Freedom Society will now have a list of its own endangered sites. The Friends of Freedom Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic sites in Ohio, announces the first-ever listing of Endangered Historic Sites. We are currently seeking nominations for historic Underground Railroad sites in the state of Ohio to appear on this list. 

In addition to being historically significant, nominated sites must be threatened by deterioration, demolition, development, or a combination of these factors. The nominated place need not be a building but could also be a grouping of places, a neighborhood, bridge or other structure, archeological site, or historic place. Interested?  Please contact us to nominate a property for the Ohio Underground Railroad Endangered Sites list.

Endangered Underground Railroad Sites in Ohio

As of November, 1999 the Ohio Underground Railroad Society has documented over 600 Underground Railroad sites throughout Ohio.  Of these sites, over 150 have already been destroyed!  The following is a list of endangered sites might still be saved:

Saved Sites

The following Underground Railroad sites in Ohio, which were previously endangered, have been saved:

SM = Service Mark of the Friends of Freedom Society, Inc.
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