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Cincinnati Itineraries
- Follow the North Star - Cincinnati and the Underground Railroad
- Boats to Brew - Cincinnati Adventure Package
- Building the Queen City of the West
- Cultural Treasures of the Queen City
Cincinnati played a major role in the history of the Underground Railroad as an estimated 60,000 slaves fled the South and were “conducted” by a network of abolitionist supporters across the brief expanse of the Ohio River to escape slavery. Neither underground nor a railroad, the Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and hiding places established around 1780 under Quaker auspices. Both free and bound African Americans and white Northerners sympathetic to those bound by slavery and the movement to abolish slavery in the United States, kept the movement alive. One of the first free “stations” of the North that slaves encountered, mostly under the cover of night and guided by the North Star, Cincinnati and the surrounding area has many historical sites with significance to the Underground Railroad.
Day 1
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center stands as the nation’s newest monument to freedom. Made up of three buildings that symbolize courage, cooperation, and perseverance, the Freedom Center sits majestically on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. The Freedom Center honors the historic struggle for freedom and contains many artifacts from the Underground Railroad, including an authentic slave pen as one of its centerpiece exhibits. Other exhibits include “Take-You-There Exhibits” which include a crate like the one that Henry “Box” Brown shipped himself to freedom in, and Freedom Today, which allows you to examine whether seeing the price of freedom changes how you view today and tomorrow.
Tour the historical home of Harriett Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The legend goes that when Abraham Lincoln met Harriett Beecher Stowe, he said to her, "So you're the little lady who started this great big war." The home was restored in 1978 by the Citizen’s Committee on Youth and includes a museum, gift shop and cultural center featuring a display of period furniture, African-American literature and artwork.
Next, travel to Spring Grove Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in the nation. This cemetery contains the gravesites of many historical figures, including legendary abolitionist Levi Coffin, whose headstone features a tribute to his role in the Underground Railroad.
Day 2
Visit Covington, Kentucky’s “Slave Escape Route” memorial plaque that honors runaway slaves, including Margaret Garner, who Toni Morrison wrote about in her novel Beloved. Garner was captured while traveling with her children and in order to prevent them from returning to slavery, killed a daughter and injured her two others.
Also in Covington, view the Carneal House (privately owned and not open to the public), where runaway shelves were sheltered, by entering a tunnel leading to the house from the Licking River, which flows past the rear of the house and empties into the Ohio River.
Around the corner, the William Bradley Statue, sits on the banks of the Ohio River gazing across to Cincinnati. Bradley, once a slave, became a student at the Lane Theological Seminary. He was the only black man to argue against slavery in the “Lane Debates.”
Next, travel to Old Washington, Kentucky’s courthouse square, where Harriet Beecher Stowe witnessed a slave auction and was inspired to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Old Washington also is home to Paxton Inn, with a “hidden” staircase, an original log cabin, and the Harriett Beecher Stowe Museum, which has an authentic collection of slave shackles, mouth harnesses, and historic documents.
Continue to Ripley, Ohio, where you can climb the “Stairway to Liberty” to the Rankin House, the home of abolitionist Rev. John Rankin. The house was built in 1828. Visitors can climb steps of the stairway that slaves once used to reach the hilltop home and safety.
Parker House was home to John Parker, who purchased his freedom for $1,800 and settled in Ripley in 1845. He became legendary for his trips across the Ohio River to help escaping slaves. Parker also recruited for the 27th Volunteer Infantry, a black regiment.
Day 3
Enjoy a day trip to Springboro, Ohio. Springboro’s Quaker influence has been credited as the driving force for the village’s participation in the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists hung quilts in the windows to signal slaves to bypass or to come in for safety.
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