Lorain Station 100 Ohio Underground Railroad Monument (Lorain, Ohio)

Lorain Station 100 Ohio Underground Railroad Monument (Lorain, Ohio)

Subject (Topic)
Antislavery movements--United States
Freedom
Fugitive slaves--United States
Ohio--Lorain
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad

A low relief depicts three freedom seekers against the map of Ohio: a father, mother, and young boy. The male figure is show in profile wearing a soft brimmed hat, holding a walking cane, and dressed in simple shirt and pants with worn shoes ( a hole is visible). The woman is between the man and young boy, holding both of their hands. She is wearing a head wrap, simple top and skirt, and a shawl on around her shoulders. Like the young boy, she is barefoot. With short hair, the young boy wears a button shirt with rolled up pants. Over his shoulder is a small sack. The artist signature, Danhires, is located near the bare feet of the young boy.

The Lorain Underground Station 100 Monument  was damaged by heavy storms in August. 2024. It is currently being repaired and is not on view.

Danhires, George

Photographs by Geoffrey Jacobson

June 16, 2007

The Giardini Family; African Heritage Underground Railroad Project Committee: Sylvia Duvall, Chairperson, Kathy Fritsch, Marlene Duffy, Bessie Eva Nelson, Elizabeth Nicholson, Barbara Aldridge, Fred Wright; National Council of Negro Women, Lorain County Section; Lorain Club of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.; Lorain County Urban League; The Ohio Historical Society.

Lorain County Government, 226 Middle Avenue, Elyria, Ohio 44035, United States

JPEG

English

Visual Arts-Sculpture

Black River Landing, 421 Black River Lane, Lorain, Ohio, 44052, United States

Historic marker:
Prior to the Civil War, Ohio was a leading state for enslaved Americans of African descent traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. For these fugitives, their final stop in Ohio was a Lake Erie port community in the north. One such port was at the mouth of the Black River in Lorain that came to be identified as Lorain Station 100, named because it was thought to be one of the last stops or stations before the fugitive slaves reached freedom in Canada. Many arrived here in a wagon driven by Robbins Burrell who owned a farm five miles up the Black River. Concealed by vegetables, grains, or hay, the slaves were smuggled into schooners, some of which belonged to Burrell’s cousin Captain Aaron Root. From Lorain Station 100, the determined travelers were transported across Lake Erie, completing the final leg of their long journey to freedom.

Inscription on granite at base of monument:
Lorain Station 100 Ohio Underground Railroad

Inscription on granite back:
The Giardini Family

Supporting Commitment, Creativity and Community
In Memory of Those Who Risked Their Lives and Property in the Name of Freedom
June 16, 2007
Lorain, Ohio

"Both the Persecuted and Their Protectors Have Hallowed This Ground. Our Lives and Our Memories are Richer Because of Their Courage."
Toni Wofford Morrison, Nobel Laureate in Literature

African Heritage Underground Railroad Project Committee
Sylvia Duvall, Chairperson
Kathy Fritsch
Marlene Duffy
Bessie Eva Nelson
Elizabeth Nicholson
Barbara Aldridge
Fred Wright

National Council of Negro Women, Lorain County Section
Marlene Duffy, President

Lorain Club of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.
Sylvia Duvall, President

Lorain County Urban League
Fred Wright, President & CEO

Unknown

Bronze; Granite

The Historical Marker Database. "Lorain Station 100." Accessed April 30, 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=143281.

"Fundraising Begins to Replace Fallen Historical Marker at Black River Landing." Morning Journal, August 15, 2024. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.morningjournal.com/2024/08/15/fundraising-begins-to-replace-fallen-historical-marker-at-black-river-landing/.

Renée Ater

Sculpture

Unknown