More Historical Adventures: Underground Railroad Part Two

I know you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting for my first hand account of the Lorain/Sheffield Village portion of the "On the Trail to Freedom"Underground Railroad tour! Never fear my friends,  the wait is over, and I'm back to tell you all about my afternoon checking out these historical sites.

Our first stop of the day was the Burrell Homestead. This house was built around 1820, and for a while it was actually used by the Oberlin Collegiate Institute. Later it became a station on the Underground Railroad.


                                                 I can only imagine how many lives were changed forever because of this house and others that became stops for people escaping to their freedom. If these walls could talk I'm sure we'd hear some truly shocking stories about the people that lived through such an ugly patch of history.


Not only is the Burrell Homestead hugely historically significant, it's on a beautiful property just a few minutes away from French Creek Reservation to balance your day of history with some general fun outdoors. Kaitlin and I certainly couldn't resist the trees in front of the house.

 I mean, how could we? They were just begging to be climbed! Would you expect anything different from a couple of interns spending the day outside?

After we thoroughly explored the area outside the house (we weren't able to go inside, but there are tours available for you to plan your visit around! Keep an eye on our calendar of events for the next one.) Next, we hit the road to make our way to our final stop, Station 100.

Being near a place as busy as Lake Erie, it's no surprise that even our commute was an adventure in itself. We were going down the road when all of a sudden traffic stopped just before the bridge. I knew the bridge was often lifted to let tall boats pass through, but I'd never actually seen it myself. It was really interesting! If you look to the left of the bridge, you can see the top of the sailboat that's heading for open water.

After the boat passed us, we were once again en route to the beautiful Station 100 monument at Black River Landing in Lorain. 

Station 100, — the last stop to freedom — is said to be the area near the mouth of the Black River and the shores of Lake Erie. This is where slaves would finally escape the United States into Canada.





After being at the monument for a little while, we caught a glimpse of something near by. Much to our excitement, we had stumbled upon one of the stops on the Follow the Fish Art and Adventure Trail! The goal of the project is to connect public art to local businesses and guide people to some of the really cool places and events in Lorain County. They come in a variety of sizes, and this one is huge! I could probably crawl up in it if I wanted to (though I'm not recommending that, it is a piece of art). Be sure to keep an eye out on your visit for the other fish!

Recognize that sail boat? I think it's the same one we saw pass under the bridge!

Kaitlin and I ended our day with a pit stop at K-Cream Korner on our way to Lakeview Beach. It was too nice of a day not to stop and small the roses, literally, at the rose garden. It was so tempting to go wade in that beautiful blue water, but we did have to get back to the office. I guess that's an experience for another day!

~Melody