Underground Railroad in Oldham

Oldham County Underground Railroad and Black History

The Only Underground Railroad Facility Designation in KY… Only in Oldham

National Park Service Network to Freedom

On July 15 & 16, 2016, the Oldham County History Center was the recipient of 2 highly sought-after designations from the National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The Bibb Escapes/Gatewood Plantation received a “site” designation and the J. C. Barnett Library & Archives, part of the Oldham County History Center campus, received a “facility” designation.  “We are the only facility site designation in Kentucky,” said Dr. Nancy Theiss, Executive Director of the Oldham County History Center.  “Both of these designations will allow us to act as a tourism attraction for those interested in the Underground Railroad and learning about the Freedom Seekers in Kentucky and the Underground Railroad conductors who at great risk, sought to abolish the institution of slavery,” she stated.

Henry Bibb (1815-1854) was a slave-turned-abolitionist who endured and eventually overcame slavery to become the first black editor of the first anti-slavery newspaper published in Canada, The Voice of the Fugitive.  ​Henry Walton Bibb was born a slave in Kentucky to Milly, also a slave, both under the ownership of William Butler. Henry’s father, Senator James Bibb, was white although his exact identity has never been proven. Henry was separated from Milly at a very young age and hired out to other slave owners for most of his childhood. Always yearning for his freedom, he made his first escape from slavery in 1842. His life followed a pattern of escape and recapture until he finally broke the bonds of slavery and settled in Canada. An exhibit about Henry can be experienced at the  Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum on the campus of the Oldham County History Center. Bibb penned an autobiography about his life as a Freedom Seeker and beyond in, Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave.

The Bibb Escapes/Gatewood Plantation site in nearby Trimble County is where the Oldham County Historical Society has conducted archaeological investigations since 2005.  William H. Gatewood, one of Henry Bibb’s owners, lived here. This site was where Henry made his final escape from slavery before he, his wife Malinda and daughter Mary Frances, were sent to the Louisville slave jails before being shipped “down south” to the New Orleans slave market by notorious slave trader, William Garrison. Since 2005 the Oldham County History Center has conducted four public digs a year and an annual Archaeological Institute for High School Students on the Gatewood Plantation site. Over 400 people have participated in the archaeology investigations at the Gatewood site under the sponsorship of the Oldham County History Center on this private property. Jeannine Kreinbrink is the lead archaeologist who oversees these investigations.

The J.C. Barnett Library & Archives is a restored 1840s “Kentucky Four Square” house.  The Archives building holds a vast collection of documents, genealogical records, photographs, slavery documents, and regional and local history materials, including extensive family files.  A Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory described the two-story house as the oldest building on the square and one of the oldest in town. The building also serves as the administrative office for the Oldham County Historical Society. The Archives building was originally owned by James Mount (March 15, 1796-October 17, 1864, son of John Mount and Lydia Jennings) and Amanda Malvina Railey Mount (July 22, 1810-January 12, 1888, daughter of John Railey and Elizabeth Randolph).  Amanda’s nephew, Amos G. Mount, sent letters to his aunt and uncle that described events during his service as a Union soldier in Company B of the 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry U.S. during the Civil War.  James Mount had been appointed guardian of his nephew after Amos’ father died.  The history center has preserved this collection of letters which detail what Amos saw from different camps and battlefields and gives a perspective of daily life during the Civil War.

A designated downstairs room of the J.C. Barnett Library & Archives has become known as The Mount Parlor, and was renovated in 2021 to depict an area in which to educate visitors about the activities of the Mount family and enslaved people that lived and were owned by the Mounts, who occupied the house from 1840 to 1888.  James Mount was the local jailor for Oldham County and Amanda Mount’s great aunt, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was President Thomas Jefferson’s mother.  As slaveholders, personal artifacts left behind by the Mounts include slave ownership papers, bounty hunter documents and printed ads for runaway freedom seekers.  Local interior designer Breck Morgan carefully selected period furniture and artifacts from the museum collection which aided in the interpretation of the culture of the families that lived in Oldham County during the antebellum era.

Delia Ann Webster (December 17, 1817 – January 18, 1904) earned quite a reputation as a local conductor on the Underground Railroad. She had a passion for aiding Freedom Seekers who wanted a better life, even if it meant risking her own.  An incident occurred in 1844 which made her a household name when she and Rev. Calvin Fairbank plotted to aid Lewis Hayden and his family in their attempt to escape slavery. The plot worked for the Haydens, but Delia and Fairbank were caught and tried separately. For his part, Fairbank received 15 years. Delia was convicted of “slave stealing” and sentenced to two years of hard labor in the state penitentiary. Her case attracted national attention as no one wanted to see a woman imprisoned. But this still did not stop her from aiding Freedom Seekers upon her release and until the ratification of the 13^th Amendment. Special programs with a re-enactor portrayal of Delia are sometimes conducted at the Oldham County History Center.

The Harrods Creek Slave Cemetery is the latest slavery-themed project for the Oldham County History Center. Research has revealed that this is a designated slave cemetery with over 20 unmarked graves of enslaved people from Oldham County. This was an early area of settlement in Oldham County and many of those settlers brought their slaves with them to help farm the fertile land.  During the Civil War, many of these Freedom Seekers joined the Union Army to escape the bonds of slavery, using it as their own “Underground Railroad.” The cemetery is located on private property but the History Center holds special programs throughout the year which include a visit to the cemetery.

In the La Grange Historic African-American Cemetery you will find the final resting place for Petter Parker (1775-1881). His headstone lists details of his life of enslavement in Shelby Co., KY for “70 odd yrs”. When his owner, John Berry, died he deeded his slaves to his children as most slaveowners did. There are a total of 6 African-American cemeteries in Oldham County and some contain the remains of Civil War veterans who fought for the Union Army. Researcher Robert Bell has noted that there were 206 African American Union soldiers from Oldham County.

You can enjoy a special podcast series created by The Oldham County History Center called “Thirty Days of Stories on the Underground Railroad in Kentucky.” This series was created in celebration of September as International Underground Railroad Month. The History Center provided most of the stories and each day a selected person read a story that included a short introduction of the reader and their interest in history. You’ll learn about Rev. John Rankin, “A Beacon of Light,” Peter Bruner, “Camp Nelson Soldier,” Lucy Higgs Nichols and many others who fought for freedom.  Learn how to access the podcast at www.oldhamkyhistory.com.