Levi Coffin House
113 N US Hwy 27
Fountain City, Wayne County, Indiana, 47341
Photo: License: Public Domain
The Levi Coffin House is a National Historic Landmark located in present-day Fountain City, Indiana. The two-story, eight room, brick house was constructed in 1839 in the Federal style and served as a station on the Underground Railroad.
Levi Coffin, and his wife Catharine, helped as many as 2,000 former slaves escape to freedom in the free states and Canada during the 20 years that they lived in the house. In fact, Levi has been referred to as the President of the Underground Railroad.
The Coffins were Quakers, a denomination that led in the fight against slavery.
Underground Railroad conductors brought slaves up through Kentucky, and they primarily crossed the Ohio River at three points: Madison, Indiana; Jeffersonville, Indiana; and Cincinnati, Ohio. After their crossing, many of the slaves were brought to the Levi Coffin House until they could be transported further north.
Levi Coffin House Categories
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The Levi Coffin House served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The slave girl, Eliza, whose story is told in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, was one of the slaves who stayed at this way station.
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