Stone Academy - Zanesville, Ohio - Underground Railroad Sites on Waymarking.com

This very beautifully maintained and restored stone building is located in the Puntnam Historical district of Zanesville Ohio. Two markers describe the history of this location, one in the yard for the UGRR history and one on the main road of Putnam describing the significance of the building.

The Stone academy marker # 11-66

"Constructed of sandstone quarried from nearby Putnam Hill, the Stone Academy dates to 1809. The Springfield School House Company erected the building, it is believed, to lure the statehouse from Chillicothe. However, when Zanesville was chosen as the capital the following year. the building was used for public functions and for its "intended" purpose as a school. The Ohio Anti-Slavery Society held its state conventions here in 1835 and 1839, with prominent abolitionist leader Theodore Weld, among others, in attendance. The Stone Academy became a private residence after 1839. In the 1870s, it was the childhood home of Elizabeth Robins, the famed late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century actress, playwright, author, and activist. The Stone Academy was donated to the Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum County in 1981."

Erected 1999 by Ohio Bicentenial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Zanesville-Muskingum County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Ohio Historical Society


Anti-Slavery Tensions in Muskingum County marker 18-60
Front Text
"In the early 1800s, opposing attitudes existed in the separate communities of Putnam and Zanesville. Anti-slavery New Englanders settled Putnam while pro-slavery Virginians and Kentuckians settled Zanesville. The Emancipation Society of Putnam formed in June 1831. The Muskingum County Emancipation Society formed in Zanesville the following month, but only had a few members. In March 1835, noted abolitionist speaker Theodore D. Weld came to Zanesville to lecture but was turned away by pro-slavery sympathizers. When the Stone Academy in Putnam provided a room, the lecture was disrupted by a mob and Weld took refuge in the home of church Elder A.A. Guthrie. After seeking the Sheriff's and County Prosecutor's protection, the Muskingum County Emancipation Society invited the Abolitionist Society of Ohio to hold its convention in Putnam in April 1835. Again, a pro-slavery mob disrupted the proceedings. Eventually, hundreds signed petitions in favor of immediate emancipation. [continued on other side]"

Rear text

"By 1836, the Muskingum County Anti-Slavery Society, Female Anti-Slavery Society, and New Concord Society represented anti-slavery sentiments in Muskingum County, but tensions grew. Pro-slavery forces disrupted conventions and threatened the homes and property of Putnam residents H.C. Howell, Horace Nye, Levi Whipple, and Adam Francis. In response, the "Putnam Grays" formed using weapons from Harpers Ferry. Fugitive slaves traveling from Deavertown were hidden in the hollow abutment of the Third Street Muskingum River Bridge connecting Putnam and Zanesville. Fugitives were sent to the homes of Alexander Brown, Robert Folet, and William Speers at New Concord, and G.W. and Edward Adams at Trinway. Meanwhile Dr. J.M. Simpson, a noted African American abolitionist in Zanesville, wrote emancipation songs, essays, and newspaper articles that were circulated nationwide. In 1837, Harriet Beecher Stowe visited her brother Reverend William Beecher, a pastor at the Putnam Presbyterian Church where Frederick Douglass spoke in 1852. "

Address: 115 Jefferson Street Zanesville, Ohio United States 43701 Web site: [Web Link] Site Details: April - October Wednesday - Friday 1:00 - 4:00 pm Saturdays 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Closed November through March Open to the public?: Public Name of organization who placed the marker: Belpre Historical society and Pioneer historical society of Zanesville

Visit Instructions:
Provide an original photo of the building and/or marker, and describe your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/09/2016 buffalohiker visited it