Take A Ride On 
Indiana's Underground Railroad

Indiana is one of several states throughout the country where momentum is increasing to preserve the landmarks and stories of the Underground Railroad. Three Indiana sites are listed in the National Register of Historic Places:

Levi Coffin House - More than 2,000 slaves reached safety due to the efforts of Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin and his wife Catherine. Their eight-room, Federal-style brick home in Fountain City (formerly Newport), Ind., became known as a "Grand Central Station" because of its instrumental role in the operation of the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slave traffic was heavy in Newport because three main escape routes converged in the small eastern Indiana town.

A National Historic Landmark, the home is operated by the Levi Coffin House Association through association dues, tour admissions, souvenir sales and the efforts of volunteer guides. The home is open to the public June 1 - September 1, Tuesday - Saturday from 1-4 p.m. and September - October, Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Scheduled school group tours begin in April. Call (765) 847-2432 for more information.

Eleutherian College Classroom and Chapel Building - Another important Underground Railroad landmark is Eleutherin College in southern Lancaster, Ind. Built between 1854 and 1856, the college was the first in Indiana to admit students without regard to race or gender. Three Eleutherian trustees were active in the efforts of the Underground Railroad, making Lancaster a known stop for fugitive slaves traveling from Madison, Ind., to Indianapolis.

From the Greek Eleutheros, meaning "freedom and equality," the school was built atop the highest hill in the area, symbolic of the beliefs of its founders and the community. Operating as a school until 1938, today the building stands vacant. Historic Eleutherian Inc. owns the building and is seeking funds for a long-range plan for the site. Guided tours are available by appointment. Call (812) 273-6122 for tour details.

Bethel AME Church - Indianapolis' first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church has played an important role in the city's African-American community for more than 160 years. It originated as a small congregation which held services in a log cabin, then known as the Underground Railroad's "Indianapolis Station."

Church members actively promoted the abolitionist movement, often harboring fugitive slaves en route to Canada. These activities were not always well received by some members of the community and it is believed that slavery supporters caused the fire that destroyed the first church building in 1862. Over the next five years, a determined congregation raised the money needed to rebuild the church in 1867. Today, the church continues to stand on downtown Indianapolis' West Vermont Street.

Bethel AME Church, known as the "mother church" of the African Methodist faith in Indiana, played an important role in the community after the Civil War. It opened schools for African-Americans throughout the city and established the Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP and the Indiana State Federation of Colored Woman's Clubs.

Visitors are welcome to attend services and tour the building. Call (317) 634-7002 for more information.

Experience the Underground Railroad Recreated in Startling Reality

For an even more in-depth experience, Conner Prairie, a living history museum north of Indianapolis, has a new interactive history program called Follow the North Star that provides a "walk-in-the-shoes" approach to history. Visitors actually become runaway slaves on a physical and intellectual journey to freedom.

As fugitive slaves, participants escape from a verbally harsh slave master, then cover about two miles of rural and village terrain, encountering people and events that demonstrate the racial mood of the 1830s. Some people they encounter are helpful. Some are not.

Call (317) 776-6000 for more information.

Indiana also offers several African-American festivals and events year-round. For a traveler's guide to Indiana's African-American Heritage or to order a free Indiana travel and festival guide call Indiana Tourism at (800) 469-4612.