The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad (HM2I3A)

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N 41° 7.11', W 82° 51.75'

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Inscription

At Omar Inn and Omar Chapel of Seneca County

Side A
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.

Side B

The Omar Inn, which once stood about 0.2 miles south of this
site on the east side of present- day State Route 4, was an
Underground Railroad station. Runaway slaves were hidden in
the livery stable there until they could be safely transported
to Seven Mile House, located just south of Sandusky. The Omar
Inn was established by Thomas Bennitt around 1830 and was
later managed by the Reed Gambee families. Bennett provided
parcels of his farmland for the Omar Chapel and Cemetery in
1842 and Baptist and Methodist congregations shared the chapel
until 1859. Abolitionism was undoubtedly preached and discussed
here. Some of those who sided with the runaways and worshipped at
the



Omar Chapel are buried nearby.
Details
HM NumberHM2I3A
Tags
, ,
Year Placed2004
Placed ByODOT Friends of Freedom Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, June 23rd, 2019 at 11:01am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 343637 N 4553583
Decimal Degrees41.11850000, -82.86250000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 7.11', W 82° 51.75'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 7' 6.6" N, 82° 51' 45" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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