The Underground Railroad on University Land
Joseph Sullivant, a member of the first Board of Trustees of Ohio State, was known as a “friend of the colored race.” He grew up in Kentucky but developed a distaste for slavery after witnessing a slave auction. Another Ohio State board member (and Professor of Agriculture) with similar beliefs was Norton Strange Townshend. Townshend served twice as a delegate to the World's Antislavery Convention. As a member of the Ohio General Assembly, he also helped to repeal Ohio's “Black Laws,” regulations that greatly restricted the lives of African Americans. Sullivant and Townshend Halls were named for these illustrious leaders.
Courtesy hmdb.org
