SANDUSKY — Sandusky was critical during the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom.
Chris Weedle is the current owner of the Sloane house, which was once home to Rush Richard Sloane. He was a prominent abolitionist who used his home as a safe house for fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad.
"He was convicted under the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act for aiding slaves getting across Lake Erie, but he went on to become an influential individual in the city," said Weedle.
Sloane was fined $4,330 in 1852 for defending seven fugitive slaves against their owners.
"They put their fortunes on the line and their reputation on the line, because it was not always popular to be an abolitionist," said Weedle.
There are over 10 homes in Sandusky that were a part of the Underground Railroad; the city was so well-known for its Underground Railroad ties that author Harriet Beecher Stowe included it in her best-selling novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.
"Sandusky was one of the last stops in the Underground Railroad before freed slaves made their way to Canada. They stopped here, and this is one of those final stops, so it's a pivotal stop on the way to freedom," said city official Marcus Harris.
Harris is the City of Sandusky's diversity and economic opportunity manager; he says they continue embracing the city's story with a project called Freedom's Echo.
"The America 250 Project from Ohio came on our radar, and I thought nothing embodies the spirit of liberty and freedom and justice more than helping enslaved people on the road to freedom. So, when the program came out, and there was an application for it, I leaped at the chance to be able to give a larger profile for this unique Sandusky story," said Harris.
Freedom's Echo will consist of interpretive signage placed at some of the homes of the underground railroad sites.
"We will be working with Shores and Islands and also the Erie County Historical Society to update some of the narratives that they were able to research and find, and then also input QR codes on the interpretive signage and invite residents to read those narratives. So, it's one thing to have statues and plaques, but it's another thing to hear the stories and bring it to life," said Harris.
Harris says they hope to complete the project by the end of 2024 and hope to have a grand opening in early 2025.
"This story is a community story, it was Black residents and it was white residents all coming together in order to make this Underground Railroad happen," said Harris.
