The Crossing at Scioto County / The Underground Railroad

The Crossing at Scioto County / The Underground Railroad (HM14CW)

Location: Portsmouth, OH 45662 Scioto County
Buy Ohio State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 43.904', W 82° 59.791'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1852 views
Inscription

Historic Underground Railroad Site

The Crossing at Scioto County (front)
The Ohio River was a formidable obstacle for escaping slaves. Many runaways from Kentucky were aided by James Poindexter, an African-American barber and local resident, who picked up fugitives in Kentucky and rowed them across the Ohio River to Portsmouth. After arriving on the Ohio side, they were sometimes hidden by another man of color, John Adams, in his home on Chillicothe Street near Eleventh.

Riverboat captain William McClain, whose principal route was between Cincinnati and Portsmouth, picked up runaways on the Kentucky side of the river and delivered them safely to the Portsmouth stations of Joseph Ashton and Milton Kennedy or northeast to J. J. Minor in South Webster.

Because slave catchers also crossed the Ohio River at this place, runaway slaves more often than not were taken as swiftly as possible to the next station north of town.

The Underground Railroad (back)
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.
Details
HM NumberHM14CW
Tags
, , ,
Placed ByFriends of Freedom Society, Ohio Underground Railroad Association, and Ohio Department of Transportation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, September 4th, 2014 at 1:11pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 326459 N 4288899
Decimal Degrees38.73173333, -82.99651667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 43.904', W 82° 59.791'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 43' 54.24" N, 82° 59' 47.46" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)740
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 801-999 2nd St, Portsmouth OH 45662, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2024  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us