Primary Underground Railroad Routes Through Gallia County
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Map Legend __ Primary Route __ Alternate Route __Modern Highway __ Stream __ County Boundary |
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The information provided on this page came from letters written to Wilbur H. Siebert by Edward T. Holcomb and N. B. Sisson in the mid-1890's. The letters were written in response to a questionnaire from Dr. Siebert, who was conducting research about the Underground Railroad. These letters are currently held in the Wilbur Henry Siebert Collection1 at the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio. In considering the accuracy of this information, note that these letters were written more than 30 years after the Underground Railroad ceased functioning. The map shown above was created from a portion of the Gallia County map that is available from the National Atlas of the United States.2 The routes were based on information that was provided in the letters from Mr. Holcomb and Dr. Sisson. |
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PRIMARY ROUTE: People who followed the Kanawha River in West Virginia, crossed the Ohio River just north of Gallipolis, and were taken to the town of Porter. Most often, the route to Porter was by way of Bethel Church.3 From Porter, the route continued to Vinton, Gallia County, and then headed north to Wilkesville in Vinton County, Ohio. From Wilkesville, escapees continued north to Albany, Athens County; Athens, Athens County; and then to Lancaster, Fairfield County. Safety was enhanced by using two additional stopping points on each side of the primary stations. These additional sites were located one mile to each side and four miles to each side. ALTERNATE ROUTE: If danger was detected, the route was changed so that people traveled from Porter to Kyger, Gallia County, and then to Dr. Eaton's house before crossing into Vinton County.
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1 Wilbur Henry Siebert: Collection: MSS 116, Box 105: "The Underground Railroad in Ohio - Materials," Vol. 5, Counties Fayette to Guernsey, [between 1834 and 1961]. [This collection is held by the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.] 2 National Atlas of the United States, December 8, 2000, http://nationalatlas.gov 3 Dr N. B. Sisson, Letter to Dr. Wilbur H. Siebert, 16 September,
1894. Original letter in the Siebert Collection.1
[Dr. Sisson mentioned "Bethel Church," but did not indicate whether he
was referring to the road or to the church with the same name.]
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