Levi Coffin House

Kicking this review off with a few «did you know’s»:
–The Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, IN was recently featured by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the Twelve New Museums to Visit in 2016.
–The Museum served as a safe haven for hundreds of fugitive slaves on their journey to Canada. Levi and Catharine Coffin’s home became known as «The Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.»
–Lastly, the home was named one of the top 25 historic sites in the country that every american should see
Now if those fun facts don’t prompt you to bookmark and visit the Levi Coffin House, I’m hoping my review will serve as the final nudge.
Growing up only an hour from the museum, we often visited for school field trips. At the time, I didn’t realize what a special site this is and how lucky we were to be experiencing this part of history up close. The site is one of Indiana’s historical site locations meaning that members can gain access for free.
Just a hop and a skip off I70. While in Fountain City, don’t miss out on the Amish store down the road from the house. Sample all of the cheeses and then order a sandwich.

This is a must-​visit historic site in a little out of the way town on the eastern border of Indiana. I happened upon it by chance and feel lucky to have seen this place. Levi Coffin and his wife were Quakers and created an important hub in the Underground Railroad where runaway slaves passed through on their way to Canada and freedom. Slave catchers were free to chase slaves in the northern U.S. and to search and seize with impunity. Yes, you heard me – If you, as a private citizen in Ohio or Iowa were helping a runaway slave, slave catchers could burst into your house with no warrant and simply seize their «property.» Rough you up, scare your family, and tolerate their insults and bad ways. This is a very small 1830s home built with wooden pegs instead of nails. The wood, glass, and some of the furniture in the house are original. If you ever wondered what tulip tree wood looked like, go to see this house. It’s such a mellow pale wood, so nice to touch. It’s the volunteer docents who really make this place special. Our docent who spent at least an hour with us, is the descendant of one of the slaves who settled in the area! This was so educational. I felt uplifted that in those early days in the «old» frontier of Indiana, someone was doing the right thing. Not just with helping early African American citizens, but building such a harmonious, humble house.

If you’re in the Richmond, IN area, or just traveling through Richmond along I-​70, this is worth taking a slight detour to stop by. It’s something like 7 – 9 miles north of I-​70 on US 27, so not that far of a detour to get here. (and also, Levi Coffin’s House is along US 27, and you do NOT have to drive several miles east of 27 to reach it, as the Unilocal map is inaccurate).
Anyway, for those who don’t know about him, here goes a very brief history lesson: Levi Coffin was a very well-​known + famous person in the Underground Railroad. He rescued about 2,000 slaves from being recaptured by Southern slave owners in Cincinnati, and rescued about 1,400 slaves from being recaptured in the Fountain City (Newport), IN area. I’ll also quickly note that in the 19^th Century, Fountain City used to be called Newport.
Today, Levi’s Coffin house is the ONLY remaining building that still stands from when he was active in the Underground Railroad (his 19^th century house in Cincinnati was unfortunately demolished decades ago). It has also been restored too, since the state purchased the home from a private owner back around the 1960s/​70s. To see the home, it’s only a $ 2 adult admission (and $ 1 admission for kids), so it’s a very decent detour to take, if you’re ever inbetween Indy and Dayton, OH on I-70(or heck, if you’re anywhere in the eastern Indiana area).