In 1966 the Coffin's Indiana home became the first property in the state to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Levi Coffin House is located in Wayne County, Indiana. September 10, 1803 How did slaves know which way was north? Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He wrote that he inherited his antislavery principles from his parents and grandparents who never owned slaves and were all “friends of the oppressed.” He was born on the island of Nantucket, 10th month, 10th, 1763, and was about ten years old when the family moved to North Carolina. He had little formal education, being largely taught by his father at home. After 1911 it was converted to apartments and passed through several owners before it was restored in the 1960s. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Both died in the year 1803, at the place where they first settled in North Carolina. The mother of four had been previously foreboding that neither she, nor her children, would live as slaves. She married 28 10 mo 1824 at Hopewell Friends Meeting in Guilford Co., NC, Levi Coffin. He lived there a little over 20 years and eventually moved to Cincinnati in 1847. Coffin later became an agent for the Western Freedman's Aid Society, petitioned the U.S. government to create the Freedmen's Bureau, and in 1867 served as a delegate to the International Anti-Slavery Conference in Paris before retiring from public life. The Coffin House is a National Historic Landmark located in the present-day town of Fountain City in Wayne County, Indiana. [26], The home is located at 113 U.S. Route 27 in the center of present-day Fountain City, Indiana. He nonetheless became a teacher, and in 1821 he opened a Sunday school for slaves in New Garden. Levi and Catharine Coffin, North Carolina Quakers who opposed slavery. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). If you are from the area and visited the Coffin House on a school field trip years ago, you might want to take another look. It is estimated that they provided 1,300 fugitive slaves with a safe haven in their Ohio home. By the time the slave-catchers returned from the county seat of Centerville (a round trip of 26 miles (42 km) to acquire the documents), the fugitive slaves would have been transported to other locations. In their flight, slaves used three main routes to cross into freedom: Madison and Jeffersonville, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. Coffin was raised on a farm, an upbringing that provided little opportunity for formal education. Levi Coffin was the only son of Levi and Prudence (nee Williams) Coffin. In 1824 Levi married Catharine White, whom he had known since childhood and who shared his abhorrence of slavery. The two-story, modified Federal-style brick home is painted red and had a two-story rear wing on the northwest corner of the main structure. The site is open to the public for tours, Tuesday through Saturday, from June through October. Due to his religious beliefs, he became a strong opponent of African American slavery. Coffin agreed to help them escape the city, and told Kite to take the Garner group further west of the city, where many free black people lived, and to wait until night. Levi Coffin was born 28th October 1798,to Levi Coffin Sr., and his wife, Prudence. After the crossing many of the escaping slaves were led to the Coffin House. The Coffin House was ranked by The History Channel as “one of the nation’s Top 25 Historical Sites.” In 2016, the Smithsonian named the Levi Coffin House Interpretive Center as “one of 12 new museums around the world to visit,” while the Indiana Office of Tourism Development voted it as one of the top museums in the State of Indiana. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. It helped me to better understand the life of Levi Coffin by showing the risks he took and the consequences the law had for his actions. The historic site is open to the public for tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. [25], The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites operates the historic house. [citation needed] After its restoration the home opened to the public as a historic site in 1970. [22][23][24] The restoration was done by Himelick Construction of Fountain City. He had little formal schooling because he was needed to work on the farm. During the 20 years they lived in Newport, the Coffins helped more than 2,000 slaves reach safety. He started a Sunday school to teach enslaved people how to read. Updates? Its location at the point where three of the escape routes to the North converged, along with the number of fugitive slaves who passed through the home, caused it to become known as the "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad. 2,000 slaves. He grew up on the family farm in North Carolina, and he was home-schooled. Even after the government was reformed, people worked hard to ignore or undo it. Another entrance at Mill Street provides access to the rear wing. Slave catchers and U.S. Image: Levi Coffin House in Newport, Indiana, known as the Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad. Stowe was living in Cincinnati at the time she wrote the novel and became acquainted with the Coffins, who may have been the inspiration for the fictional Quaker couple named Simeon and Rachael Halliday in her story. The Quakers believed slavery was wrong. A secret door installed in the maids' quarters in the rear addition on the second floor provided access for as many as fourteen fugitive slaves to hide in a narrow crawlspace between the walls. During the 20 years they lived in Newport, the Coffins helped more than 2,000 slaves reach safety. Coffin was known as the President of the Underground Railroad. Click to see full answer. The family had to help the slaves in secret a… "[5][6][7] Catharine (White) Coffin (1803–81) also took an active role in assisting fugitive slaves, which included providing food, clothing, and a safe haven in the Coffin home. The Coffins and their neighbors provided fugitive slaves with supplies and a place to stay until they could be transported further north. The young Levi received the bulk of his education at home, which proved to be good enough for Coffin to find work as a teacher for several years. She married 28 10 mo 1824 at Hopewell Friends Meeting in Guilford Co., NC, Levi Coffin. Their home essentially became the grand central station of the Underground Railroad, and every runaway slave who stayed at the house successfully reached freedom. When touring the home with one of the site’s excellent guides, note that most of the rooms have more than one entrance, so people have a way to move to safety if needed. His autobiography, Reminiscences of Levi Coffin (1876), contains much valuable information about American abolitionism. Marshals found the Garners barricaded inside Kite's house before he returned. The Coffins were Quakers and did not believe in slavery, but Levi grew up seeing the horrors of slavery first hand living in a slave state. The Levi Coffin House was built in 1839 by Levi and Catharine Coffin, Quakers who opposed slavery and were committed to helping runaway slaves escape to freedom. One North Carolinian, Levi Coffin, dedicated his life to helping enslaved men and women escape slavery. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The home faces east with its main entrance along Main Cross Street (U.S. Route 27). Illustration. Nevertheless he was educated sufficiently well at home (with his six sisters) to be able to take up teaching. The Coffins settled at Newport (the present-day town of Fountain City) in Wayne County in 1826 and established a home. One North Carolinian, Levi Coffin, dedicated his life to helping enslaved men and women escape slavery. Coffin moved the fugitives from his home to the next stop during the night. It was the home of Levi and Catharine Coffin from 1839 to 1847. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. My father, Levi Coffin, was the youngest of eight sons and next to the youngest child. Coffin later estimated that, on average, they helped one hundred slaves escape each year. His parents were Quakers, and the family was anti-slavery in their thinking. The site is now the Levi Coffin House State Historic Site. By law, the reform that the abolitionists worked for was finish. Catharine was the daughter of Stanton and Mary White. As slave lore tells it, the North Star played a key role in helping slaves to find their way—a beacon to true north and freedom. Levi Coffin was an American Quaker, abolitionist, farmer, businessman and humanitarian. Catharine and Levi Coffin, the home's original owners, along with the first of their six children migrated from Guilford County, North Carolina, to Wayne County, Indiana, to join other members of the Coffin family. As a young boy of 7, Levi witnessed slaves being separated from their families and was terrified of the thought of his own father being separated from him. He was a member of the Society of Friends. They came north to make their new homes in … Coffin and his wife, Catharine, then made their home into a depot, and they funneled much of the wealth that he was acquiring as a prosperous merchant into hiding and then conveying “passengers” on their northern journey. Indiana's state government acquired the house in 1967 and leased it to the Wayne County Historical Society. The Levi Coffin House has been included on the list of the top 25 history sites in the nation by The History Channel!. [13][14], Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional work, Uncle Tom's Cabin, told stories of slaves who escaped on the Underground Railroad. Wife of Levi Coffin. Levi Coffin wrote in his memoirs that: “I resign my office and declare the operations of the Underground Railroad at an end.”. The Coffins’ second home, built in Newport in 1839, has been restored. Levi Coffin grew, married Catharine Coffin, and moved to Indiana from North Carolina in 1926. The Coffins settled at Newport (the present-day town of Fountain City) in Wayne County in 1826 and established a home. Being able to read the words and hear the inner thoughts of one of the greatest abolitionist and know more his family was great. An active leader in the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio, some unofficially called Coffin the "President of the Underground Railroad," estimating that three thousand fugitive slaves passed through his care. They were members of the Quaker religion. 24 Related Question Answers Found When did Levi Coffin die? He was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, in the United States. Levi Coffin was born in New Garden, in Guilford County near present-day Greensboro. A devout Quaker, Coffin opposed slavery despite his Southern birth and upbringing. [6][17], The Coffin family's residence that later became a state historic site was originally built circa 1838–39. Escaping slaves were well hidden for their travels in this wagon when grain bags were piled around the hiding area. [6][27] The main entrance opens into a central hallway that includes a room on each side and a staircase leading to the second floor. He died on September 16, 1877 at around 2:30pm in his Avondale, Ohio home. An active leader in the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio, some unofficially called Coffin the "President of the Underground Railroad," estimating that three thousand fugitive slaves passed through his care. Levi Coffin, a Quaker shopkeeper who lived in Newport (now Fountain City), Indiana, worked on the Underground Railroad for many years. Remarking on his work, Coffin wrote in his autobiography, “I had already risked every thing in the work-life, property and reputation – and did not feel bound to respect human laws that came in direct contrast with the law of God.” Stairs lead down to a kitchen and spring room in the basement. Levi Coffin House, Main Cross and Mill Streets, Fountain City, Wayne County, IN. Known for his leadership in aiding fugitive slaves, Coffin opposed slavery and was given the unofficial title of "President of the Underground Railroad. The Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site is located at 201 US-27 in Fountain City, Indiana. [15][16], At the urging of friends in the anti-slavery movement, the Coffins left Newport and moved to the Cincinnati, Ohio, area in 1847 to take over management of a store and wholesale warehouse that supplied free-labor goods produced without slave labor. Moreover, Catharine organized a sewing circle that met in the Coffins’ home and made clothing for the fugitive slaves. He passed several laws outlawing the use of enslaved laborers. Most of the rooms have at least two exits. [18], The Coffin house was named a National Historic Landmark and in 1966 it became the first property in the state to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The second floor contains three bedrooms. The Coffins are thought to have been the inspiration for the characters Simeon and Rachel Halliday in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. A few years after Margaret was returned to her owner, she jumped off a ferry with one of her children in her arms. Catharine was the daughter of Stanton and Mary White. 1972-04-04 00:00:00 A GERMAN VIEW OF LEVI COFFIN AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD By Opal Thornburg* Levi Coffin1, often called the President of the Underground Railroad,2 later General Agent of the Western Freedmen's Aid Commission, was a … After emancipation, he devoted himself to assisting the freedmen. When repression in North Carolina became stronger and stronger, Coffin and his Quaker associates decided to move to Newport (Fountain City) in Indiana where African Americans could live … Levi was born in Guilford County, North Carolina in 1798. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Admission is charged for visitors over the age of six. It shows that what Levi Coffin and the rest of the Underground Railroad members were doing was illegal but they did it anyway. [19][28], Front and southern side of the Levi Coffin House, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, "Notable Hoosiers: Levi and Catharine Coffin", "Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites: School Group Tours", "Indiana's Part in the Making of the Story, "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Levi Coffin Home", https://www.indianamuseum.org/historic-sites/levi-catharine-coffin-house/, Levi Coffin House, Main Cross & Mill Streets, Fountain City, Wayne County, IN, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, The Railroad to Freedom: A Story of the Civil War, Akima Pinšiwa Awiiki (Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House), Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Facility, Eleutherian College Classroom and Chapel Building, Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Historic District, John E. and Catherine E. Christian House (Samara), List of National Historic Landmarks in Indiana, History of the National Register of Historic Places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Levi_Coffin_House&oldid=1014171304, Historic American Buildings Survey in Indiana, Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana, National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Indiana, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 March 2021, at 15:51. The greatest abolitionist and know more his family harbor runaway slaves on their farm he... And Cincinnati, where he opened a Sunday school for Blacks bookcases that are to. Receiving food, clothing, New shoes, and information from Encyclopaedia.! 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