Various historic homes and building are said to have been places of refuge for the slaves during their journey. One old structure believed to be part of the network went up in flames, 60 years ago today.
"A Lorain County landmark, believed to have been a stop in the "underground railway" during the slave days more than 100 years ago, was destroyed by fire early today," noted the article on the front page of the November 5, 1965 Journal.
"An unidentified passerby was credited with probably saving the lives of seven occupants of a house on the northwest corner of SR 113 and Murray Ridge Road.
"Because the exact history of the building isn't known, it is believed it was a former stagecoach stop and a station on the "underground railway."
"Col. Raymond Vietzen, first vice president of the Lorain County Historical Society, said: "It was never a very much talked about place." But, he said, it had everything needed for smuggling escaped slaves.
"A porch ran the length of the house and there was a unique woodshed made of brick and wood. He said a wagon could be driven into the shed and unloaded. Steps led from the shed into the kitchen.
"The basement of the house, he said, could be entered from the outside at ground level. The carriage house also had a basement that could be entered from ground level or from a trap door.
"In the 1930s the building became the Owl Club, a tavern that emerged after the repeal of prohibition."
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I found a few ads connected with the building in the Lorain Journal. It became the Owl Club in August 1934, and then changed to the Silver Bell Inn in Feb. 1935. It lasted as the Silver Bell Inn until at least the fall of 1953, when it was robbed during a wild crime spree stretching from Cleveland to Oberlin.
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| Aug. 28, 1934 |
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| Feb. 14, 1935 |
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| Feb. 22, 1935 |
I will mention that the Rt 113, 4 lane highway was not there in 1965. This building was in the north west corner of present day Murray Rd and Lowell St.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'd want my oiler "jumboized."
ReplyDeleteLove those names, Owl Club and Silver Bell Inn, a rendezvous for the smart set and then - what Betty Sebastian’s personality may have brought forth…As a former tavern tot, thanks Dan, for igniting my imagination once more with another interesting bit of local history.
ReplyDeleteThis would have been just as I was starting 2nd grade with Miss Miller at Masson - the Passumpsic was the first ship project Dad worked on after starting at the yards.
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