Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: The Geography of Resistance

4. Poke Patch, Ohio: A Different Route

Chapter 4 Poke Patch, Ohio A Different Route Ohio’s sustained involvement in the Underground Railroad made the state a viable destination for anyone seeking freedom in the Northwest. At Poke Patch in western Gallia County the Underground Railroad story and African American participation were documented by Underground Railroad historian Wilbur Siebert (see map 1). The significant role of Black Baptists as well as the Methodists distinguishes this settlement from the Illinois and Indiana enclaves. Routes running toward Ohio’s iron furnaces in Lawrence and Gallia Counties, leading into and out of Poke Patch, etch lines of resistance in the landscape (see map 4). Greenup County in Kentucky and Cabell County in Virginia had to contend with their enslaved workers escaping to Ironton at the southernmost bend of the Ohio River, Burlington at the midpoint of the broad bend, and Proctorville ten miles to the east—places that connected in one way or another to Poke Patch. Routes connecting iron furnaces throughout the growing county were major pathways to freedom. At Poke Patch, twenty miles from the Ohio River, the liberty line branches shed light on the Black communities that were silently operating in the background. Ohio: A Gateway Of the three earliest states formed out of the Old Northwest, Ohio enjoys the most liberal image as a state with multiple highly developed routes along the Underground Railroad. The first of the northwestern states to forbid slavery, Ohio entered the Union in 1803. Yet, as with Illinois and Indiana, the state instituted Black Codes and intermittently enforced restrictive measures against Black residents. 72 part i. free black communities Blacks were making their way across the Western Reserve by 1815.At the same time, runaways either found refuge in the area or traveled across the state escaping to Canada through various ports along Lake Erie. By 1817, Kentucky slaveholders complained of their inability to reclaim escapees once they entered Ohio and neighboring free states. What Kentuckians were confronting was an evolving system for moving escapees through the landscape. Over the years, Kentuckians grew furious that Ohio did little to stem the tide of liberty. As 1820 approached, a basic structure was in place along the routes that developed into the Underground Railroad. The Lawrence County rail lines were in operation by the mid-1830s, if not earlier. These lines eventually caused a shift from the idea of an underground road movement for escapMap 4. Iron furnaces map of Lawrence County, Ohio. chapter 4. poke patch, ohio 73 ees to the Underground Railroad based on the use of steam railroads that gained in popularity during the 1830s.1 Both Baptist and AME denominations established deep roots in the state by 1832. That year Ohio became an Episcopal seat of the AME Church. Four years later the state was the site of the nation’s first independent Black regional Baptist conference, the Providence Baptist Association. Members of both denominations assumed a staunch abolitionist stand and many actively worked in the Underground Railroad.2 By 1860, one church of each faith could be found wherever Blacks lived in Ohio, whether in tiny communities or large cities.3 Poke Patch and the Underground Railroad Operating a mere twenty miles from the Ohio River, Poke Patch ranked among the most active Underground Railroad sites in southern Ohio. Situated on the western edge of Gallia County, the predominantly African American settlement included many former slaves who worked either as farmers or in the area’s booming iron industry. Between 1830 and 1900, the Hanging Rock Iron region produced the majority of iron in the United States (see map 4). Dangerous working conditions left that industry open to Blacks. During the early existence of Poke Patch, the sole purpose of the tiny community may have been to harbor escapees as they moved northward along the Underground Railroad. Greater than two hundred freedom seekers made their way to the settlement. The residents were ready with food and lodging.Three routes converged at Poke Patch: the Ironton, Burlington, and Rio Grande lines. Freed African Americans,Whites, mulattoes, and Native Americans settled in the area in the 1820s. Beyond their original purposes in moving there, each of these groups soon became involved in assisted escapes. One founder, Benjamin Holly, was a known underground agent. John J. Stewart and his wife, in conjunction with his four brothers, were also early settlers active in promoting Underground Railroad traffic. Stewart had been...