Hayes Home added to Underground Railroad network

FREMONT — The historic Hayes Home has been named one of 600 sites across the United States as part of the National Underground Railroad Network. The Hayes Home was prompted to apply to be listed as a site due to President Rutherford B. Hayes' efforts in defending runaway slaves while he worked as an attorney in Cincinnati, but the home was not a stop on the Underground Railroad. "We are honored to have this designation and be part of this network," Kristina Smith, marketing/communications manager at HPLM, said. "Our site will have more visibility to those interested in the Underground Railroad, and perhaps the designation will be additional incentive for them to visit us." The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom is organized by the National Park Service. It collaborates with local, state and federal entities to honor, preserve and promote the history of resistance to slavery through escape and flight. According to a release provided by HPLM, two cases where Hayes defended runaway slaves have been recorded. One involved a slave named Lewis who did not wait for the verdict of his case and decided to make a run for it. Hayes' most important case involved a young girl named Rosetta Armstead in 1855. Working with Salmon P. Chase, a well-known attorney who would go on to serve as Ohio governor and secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln, Hayes made the closing argument for Armstead. The court declared Armstead free under both U.S. and Ohio law. Hayes also enlisted in the Union Army when the Civil War began. He was 38 and past the age of men required to go, but he felt too strongly about the Union's cause not to fight. When escaped slaves surrendered themselves to Hayes, he ensured they were allowed to head north, even recommending some for employment on his uncle's property of Spiegel Grove, which would become his beloved home later in life. He also trusted and encouraged the escaped slaves who made it to his regiment. For information, call (419) 332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. You can also follows HPLM on Facebook and Twitter.