A Quaker Trail of the Underground Railroad - UGRR (2 of 4 Lawrence County, Ohio trails)

This possible underground railroad trail lead from the Ohio River at Proctorville northwest across Lawrence County, Ohio to the free community of Poke Patch

Quakers Bottom (later called Proctorville) was almost directly across the Ohio River from Guyandotte, Virginia (West Virginia) and the mouth of the Guyandotte River.

During the 19th Century, the Ohio River was uncontrolled and its summer pool was only three to five feet deep. The many streams and rivers which flowed into the Ohio River usually formed a sand bar that stretched across the river almost to the opposite shore and one of these great sand bars was below the mouth of the Guyandotte River.

If a runaway could make it across the river, there were two routes encouraged by the Quakers. Directly north of Quakers Bottom/Proctorville was a break in the Ohio River ridge which lead north along OH 775. This trail passed through a Black settlement called Red Hill and up the valley that climbed to Greasy Ridge. The trail continued north almost to the Poke Patch area and was possibly aided by the Mount Pleasant Church which was founded in 1807. The church was a member of the Providence Antislavery Missionary Baptist Association in 1835 and about twenty-five miles from the Ohio.

Another section of this trail followed Indian Guyan Creek from the Ohio River. The creek was one hundred yards down stream from the mouth of the Guyandotte River and turned north for about one-half mile before turning east from the foot of Greasy Ridge. The runaway could climb the ridge and follow Greasy Ridge north for thirty-miles before having to cross Symmes Creek and head northwest to the Poke Patch area. Indian Guyan Creek joined OH 775 behind the river ridge and several Quaker families lived along the route. (Some Quakers became Baptists as the Quaker Church dwindled in the region.)

Eastern Lawrence County was much closer to the residents of Cabell County, Virginia/West Virginia who were slave holders. The James River and Kanawha Turnpike served to bring eastern plantation owners west as they looked to expand their holding. Add to those facts, the Iron Furnaces did not begin to operate in the Ironton region until 1826 leads the researcher to conclude many unknown runways crossed along a Quaker Trail from eastern Lawrence County.

Please view the 4/4 trails. (1) Symmes Creek (2) Quaker (3) Macedonia/Old Jackson Road (4) The Iron Furnaces

Eldridge, Carrie: An Empire for Freedom, The Manumission of Sampson Sanders Slaves

Hall, R. C. : "Advent of the Quakers into Ohio" Herald Advertiser 17 Jul 1938. Huntington, WV

www.lawrenceregister.org

Minutes of the Providence Association September 1835: Collections of the American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library: Rochester, NY