Site of the "Dispatcher's Office" - Cincinnati, Ohio
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 06.122 W 084° 31.006
16S E 714732 N 4331035
Location important along the Underground Railroad now occupied by a parking garage.
Waymark Code: WM41A5
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2008
Views: 14
A gasoline station at the NW, corner of Sixth and Elm Sts. stands on the
SITE OF THE "DISPATCHER'S OFFICE." The "dispatcher" was Levi Coffin,
doughty Quaker president of the Underground Railroad; his "office" was a
store he maintained here after 1847. Through tunnels leading from the
river to Coffin's cellar escaping Negro slaves were sometimes passed; from this
point they were shunted through other tunnels that ended in certain churches and
dwellings. There members of the organization contrived to transport the
Negroes to the next "stations" on the Underground Railroad. Great secrecy
was necessary in order to avoid detection, which often resulted in the return
of the slave to his owner and prosecution of the abolitionist. Over a
period of years Coffin is reputed to have aided 3,000 Negroes in their flight to
freedom. - Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors,
Tour 5, pgs. 184-185
The site is now occupied by a large parking garage which is located across
the street from the Duke Energy Center (a large convention center)