Reuben Benedict House, Morrow County, OH

In 1812, several Benedict families moved to Ohio and established the first Quaker settlement in Morrow County. Reuben Benedict built his house in the Alum Creek area, where he was also the first recorded miller in the township. Between the mid-1830s and Emancipation, residents of Alum Creek raised large amounts of money to be used for the efforts of freeing captive slaves in the south. A passage from a journal kept by Daniel Osborne, who also lived in Alum Creek, gives a glimpse into a few months' time where many slaves were assisted in their travels north. While it has not been proven with complete certainty, it is very likely that the Reuben Benedict house was part of the Underground Railroad. There are many accounts and references of the house and it’s contributions.

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Leeann Mckenna