Levi Coffin House: "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad

Last week, my daughters and I had a most enjoyable afternoon touring "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad - the Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, Indiana.

The house is easy to find, right on the main street of town. There is ample parking at the side and the admission is very reasonable at $2 per adult and $1 per child. I was very impressed with the tour, which lasted two hours (and this is not a large house)! When our guide asked for questions, no one had any - probably because she was so thorough.

Here is some of what we learned. Levi Coffin moved to Fountain City (known at the time as Newport) in 1926 and had the house built in 1839. He moved in with his wife Catharine (called Aunt Kate because of her gentle way with children) and their six children. They were Quakers and as such were opposed to slavery, as were many of the other Quakers in town. The house became a major stopping point for slaves fleeing north to freedom.

In the years to Coffins lived there, none of the 2,000 slaves passing through their home were even captured, to Levi's knowledge. The house was known as "Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad. Slaves that were being actively searched for stayed only a night or two, while those who were not often lived quietly in the home with the family for a little while.

The house features some interesting hiding places for slaves such as a long passage behind a slanted ceiling in an upstairs bedroom. Up to 17 slaves at a time stayed in the low passage, which seemed incredible as our tour group stood fanning ourselves and perspiring as we stood in the bedroom itself on a hot summer day. A small door leading to the passage was covered by the headboard of a bed at that time.

In the cellar, there is a well which is believed to have had access to a spring, which would have helped the family get plenty of water for their "visitors" without igniting undue curiosity from neighbors wondering why so much was needed. The spring also cooled the small cellar, allowing for a fairly large refrigerated area to store additional food.