From Ohio History Central
Clinton Chapel was a church in Clintonville, Ohio.
In 1838, Thomas Bull bequeathed land for the construction of Clinton Chapel. Construction of the church began and was completed in that same year. The structure was originally fifty-two feet long and thirty-seven feet wide. The congregation was part of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Many church members opposed slavery. They actively assisted fugitive slaves in attaining freedom along the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves commonly hid in the church's basement until it was safe to travel to the next Underground Railroad stop, which was located in Worthington, Ohio.
In 1882, the congregation relocated, leaving Clinton Chapel vacant. The building served as a private residence for much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also housed a speakeasy during Prohibition in the 1920s. Finally, in 1938, R.L. Southwick purchased the building. Southwick opened a funeral home in the building. Today, Southwick-Good & Fortkamp continues to offer funeral services in the structure. The building is located at 3100 North High Street in Clintonville.
Clinton Chapel illustrates the growing tensions over slavery between Northerners and Southerners during the early nineteenth century. It also shows the importance of religion in the sectional debate.
- "Amason Webster Account of Jason Bull." The Wilbur H. Siebert Underground Railroad Collection. The Ohio Historical Society. Columbus, OH. (http://cdm267401.cdmhost.com/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/siebert&CISOPTR=3442&REC=18)
- "Our History." http://www.southwickfuneral.com/index.php?P=6.