All Trails Lead to Xenia

Named a “Trail Town, USA” by the American Hiking Society, Xenia stands at the crossroads of four rails-to-trails in Ohio: the Little Miami Scenic Trail (on which I spent yesterday riding all day in the rain), the Xenia-Jamestown Connector, the Creekside Trail, and the Ohio to Erie Trail (where I did most of my riding today).

I continue to be impressed by Ohio’s commitment to safe biking. All of these trails are beautiful. The Xenia Station Bike Hub is a replicated train depot occupying the site of the town’s original depot.

My trek today has brought me to Dublin, Ohio, the home of Chuck Harmon, my Underground Railroad conductor for this leg of the journey. Chuck was responsible for researching and mapping the Ohio section of the URR Bike Route. A great resource for information about URR activity in the area, he took me to Mechanicsburg to learn about how one community took a stand against slavery.

Fugitive Slave Laws passed by Congress in 1793 and 1850 allowed federal marshals to arrest slaves that had escaped to the North and return them to their southern owners. They could also arrest northerners suspected of aiding runaway slaves. These laws were contested throughout the North, including Ohio where one case in Mechanicsburg received national attention.

In August of 1856, escaped slave Addison White arrived in Mechanicsburg where he met abolitionist Udney Hyde and stayed at his farm while Hyde recovered from a leg injury. White’s master Daniel White learned of his location and came to Mechanicsburg in April of 1857 with federal marshals to reclaim his slave. When the marshals attempted to seize Addison and arrest Udney for violating the Fugitive Slave Law, Mechanicsburg residents with pitchforks and shovels came to their aid. The marshals left, but came back to arrest the men who protected Addison White. Several of the residents were rounded up and taken by the marshals toward Kentucky to face charges. Learning of the arrests, a large number of citizens set off on horseback to free their neighbors. The Clark County sheriff joined in the pursuit, but was shot near South Charleston while trying to stop the marshals. The running battle ended in Lumberton near Xenia when the Greene County sheriff arrested the marshals. The case was finally settled when the people of Mechanicsville paid $900 for Addison White’s freedom. During the Civil War, he joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and returned to Mechanicsville after the war to work for the city’s Street Department.

The history is indeed rich in these areas, almost more than I can absorb as I continue to make my way north to Ontario. Tomorrow I continue moving closer to Lake Erie, which I will hug through the rest of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York until I cross over at Niagara Falls. The weather forecast for the weekend looks promising, so the riding should be good.

Check back with me tomorrow. Until then, peace be with you.

Large versions of all my blog pics can be found at my photo gallery

What Do You Think?

As always we want your thoughts, opinions and feedback. Please use the links below to make a comment or suggestion and to see what others are saying about this subject.

You Don't Have to Register
To have your say, just choose the 'name/url' option and enter a screen name (you can leave the url field blank) or choose the 'anonymous' option on the comment screen.

Show Comments - Make Comment - Hide Comments