Joseph R. Ware portrait   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Photograph of J.R. Ware (1806-1882), who concealed fugitive slaves escaping to freedom in Canada at his home in Mechanicsburg in Champaign County, Ohio. Ware developed anti-slavery sentiments after witnessing a slave auction on a trip to the South. Ware's basement contained so many hidden rooms to store slaves that it became known at the "Catacombs." Ware is reported to have directed over 500 fugitive slaves to safety. 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: AL03113
Subjects: Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Underground Railroad--Ohio; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century; Abolitionists;
Places: Mechanicsburg (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)