Description: This is a photograph of West Middletown, Pennsylvania. The town was a noted station on the Underground Railroad and a hotbed of abolitionists in Washington County, Pennsylvania. It still has a large African American population. This photograph was taken by Earle R. Forrest. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03226
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Pennsylvania; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Anti-Slavery--19th Century
Places: West Middletown (Pennsylvania); Washington County (Pennsylvania)
 

Description: Photograph of the home and barn of Thomas McKeever, a noted abolitionist and an operator on the Underground Railroad in West Middletown, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He concealed fugitive slaves in the barn. This photograph was taken by Earle R. Forrest. It was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03227
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Pennsylvania; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Barns
Places: West Middletown (Pennsylvania); Washington County (Pennsylvania)
 

Description: Photograph of the barn used by Thomas McKeever to conceal fugitive slaves. He was a noted abolitionist and an operator on the Underground Railroad in West Middletown, Washington County, Pennsylvania. This photograph was taken by Earle R. Forrest. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03228
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Pennsylvania; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Barns
Places: West Middletown (Pennsylvania); Washington County (Pennsylvania)
 

Description: This image shows the exterior of the courthouse in Somerset, Ohio. In 1807, John Finck erected the first log cabin in what would become Somerset. Several years later, Jacob Miller arrived, becoming the second settler in this community. The men named the town Middletown, since it was approximately equal distant to Lancaster to the west and Zanesville to the east. Soon residents changed the town's name to Somerset, as most early residents were from Somerset, Pennsylvania. During the remainder of the nineteenth and the first portion of the twentieth centuries, Somerset's population remained stable at approximately 1,200 residents. Many residents earned their livings in the surrounding iron and coalmines. As iron and coal deposits began to decline, residents began to find employment in other industries principally in the nearby cities of Lancaster and Zanesville. In 2000, Somerset's population had reached 1,500 people. Civil War General Philip Sheridan spent much of his youth in Somerset. Although not open to the public, his home remains standing today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06531
Subjects: Courthouses; Buildings; Law & legal affairs
Places: Somerset (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the exterior of the courthouse in Somerset, Ohio. In 1807, John Finck erected the first log cabin in what would become Somerset. Several years later, Jacob Miller arrived, becoming the second settler in this community. The men named the town Middletown, since it was approximately equal distant to Lancaster to the west and Zanesville to the east. Soon residents changed the town's name to Somerset, as most early residents were from Somerset, Pennsylvania. In the 1810s, Somerset grew quickly and, in 1817, became the Perry County seat of government. In 1846, Somerset boasted a population of nearly 1,400 residents. That same year, the community included four churches, three newspapers, sixteen stores, an iron foundry, and a tobacco warehouse. The town also claimed a Catholic nunnery and St. Mary's Seminary, a school for young women. Two miles south of Somerset was also located St. Joseph's Church, the first documented Catholic Church in Ohio. During the remainder of the nineteenth and the first portion of the twentieth centuries, Somerset's population remained stable at approximately 1,200 residents. Many residents earned their livings in the surrounding iron and coalmines. As iron and coal deposits began to decline, residents began to find employment in other industries principally in the nearby cities of Lancaster and Zanesville. In 2000, Somerset's population had reached 1,500 people. Civil War General Philip Sheridan spent much of his youth in Somerset. Although not open to the public, his home remains standing today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06530
Subjects: Courthouses; Buildings; Law & legal affairs
Places: Somerset (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)