James Clemens Farmstead, Greenville, OH

James Clemens was the first free black man to purchase land in German township, in Darke County, Ohio. James and Sophia Clemens were also instrumental in helping to establish the first school in the area. They also donated land for Wesleyan College and to create the first cemetery. The settlement was listed as a stop on a map of the Underground Railroad in the manuscript written by William Siebert. James and Sophia’s son William was one of the founding members for the Union Literary Institute. The Institute, located two miles from the Clemens Farmstead and only four tenths of a mile into Indiana, was the first school in the area to accept students regardless of their race or gender. There were only two other schools in Indiana who accepted black students until it became a law in 1869. The Union Literary Institute was also known to be a stop on the Underground Railroad, often housing slaves who were on their journey to Canada.

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Leeann Mckenna