LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio — The National Park Service has added five new sites in southern Ohio and northeastern Kentucky to its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, recognizing the role Appalachian communities played in helping enslaved people escape to freedom before the Civil War.
The newly designated sites were approved through the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative, a multi-county effort supported by an Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant awarded to the Lawrence Economic Development Corp. and Shawnee State University. Organizers say the initiative aims to preserve historically significant locations while promoting economic development through heritage tourism.
Among the Ohio sites recognized is Union Baptist Church of Blackfork in Lawrence County, founded in 1819 and believed to be the longest continuously active African American church in the state. The church traces its roots to the Stewart Settlement, an early free Black community now commonly known as Poke Patch. Members of the congregation and surrounding settlement assisted freedom seekers traveling routes that connected Ironton, Burlington, Macedonia, Red Hill, and Proctorville to areas farther north in Jackson County.
Also listed is the Joe Logan and West Union Underground Railroad Network in Adams County. Logan, a formerly enslaved man, settled in West Union after reuniting with his wife in 1822 and operated an Underground Railroad station with the Rev. John Graham of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Their work was part of an interracial, faith-based antislavery movement centered on the church, whose 1835 building still stands and now houses the Adams County Historical Society.
In Gallia County, Payne’s Corner — historically known as Abolition Corner — was recognized for sheltering hundreds of freedom seekers. Among them were Pleasant and Dave, two enslaved brothers from Greenup County, Kentucky, who escaped in 1845 and were hidden at Payne’s Store in the village of Porter before being guided north through Athens County.
Two Kentucky locations were also added. The Asbury Parker Memorial at ARMCO Park in Ashland, Boyd County, commemorates Parker’s 1857 escape from enslavement at Clinton Furnace. Parker traveled through Ironton with help from members of the city’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, passed through Olive Furnace and Poke Patch, and ultimately reached Canada with assistance from dozens of Ohio residents.
The Greenup County Courthouse Square was recognized for its connection to Underground Railroad–related legal proceedings. The courthouse and nearby jail were sites where freedom seekers, kidnapped free Black people, and those accused of aiding escapes were held and tried.
Local leaders said the designations bring national recognition and new opportunities for education and tourism.
“We are excited for the tourism opportunities, community engagement, and educational development that the program will create,” said Jaime Bloss, Greenup County’s tourism director. “Being a part of a national network opens doors for collaboration with other organizations dedicated to preserving Greenup County’s rich history.”
Hope Ripey, a longtime member of Union Baptist Church of Blackfork, said the recognition holds deep meaning for the congregation, while Robin Payne, executive director of the John Gee Black Historical Center, said listing Abolition Corner ensures the stories of freedom seekers and those who aided them “are preserved, honored and shared on a national stage.”
The Network to Freedom program includes more than 800 sites nationwide documenting people, places and events associated with the Underground Railroad. Organizers of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative said 16 sites have now been added through the project, with additional research underway to develop a 27-site heritage tour spanning the tristate region.
More information is available through the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative.
You can view all of the locations, pictures, and descriptions of the sites below: