Sometimes when planning an adventure day, I simply set off with a couple of places in mind that I want to see and then make up the rest as I go along. These are the very best days.
That’s exactly what happened yesterday as I set off toward Lawrence County, Ohio with a few things I wanted to see or do. Five things, to be exact. Three worked out as planned – I wanted to find a great old theater marquee, have lunch at Tudor’s Biscuit World and find a little country church with a big history.
That church is today’s story.
The Burlington Macedonia Church was built in 1849 on Macedonia Ridge, north of Burlington, Ohio. If you’ve never heard of Burlington, that’s ok. I hadn’t either. It’s just down the road from South Point in Lawrence County.
This is the oldest black church in Ohio and is considered significant for its cultural and religious values. I read that slaves fleeing Virginia plantations prior to the Civil War traveled the Underground Railroad to find freedom in Burlington.
This church and the surrounding community were an abolitionist sanctuary for escaped and freed slaves for decades.
This is where the Burlington 37 come into the picture.
The Burlington 37 were twenty enslaved men and seventeen enslaved women who were freed by wealthy plantation owner James Twyman upon his death in 1849. Three other elderly slaves were also freed by Twyman. They were deemed unable to travel so he provided that they be cared for as long as they lived locally in Virginia.
As for the 37, they were accompanied on the 400 mile journey by four Caucasian men. This escort was to insure they arrived at their new northern home in Burlington safely.
I read that these new Ohio citizens quickly gained a reputation for their impeccable work ethic and that their descendants have been doctors, business owners, lawyers, teachers, farmers and even an NBA player named OJ Mayo.
The last of these 37 former slaves died in 1941. Susan Gordon was 99. They all are buried in a small cemetery in Burlington.
The church has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. It still stands but is unused. There’s a historic marker at this site but private property signs on the building.
It’s on a quiet county road just a couple of miles from Route 52. The setting is wooded, peaceful and picturesque. It’s easy to imagine some of the going’s on here in the middle of the nineteenth century. Being so close to the Ohio River, I imagine many escaped slaves sought refuge on this ridge. I can’t fathom the fear, uncertainty, exhaustion and anxiety of this dangerous journey from bondage to freedom.
A couple of things to note if you decide to go there. First, the local tourism site and other websites with published information are confusing and are not helpful with finding this church or the cemetery where the Burlington 37 are buried. In fact, the tourism site indicates the church is in town. It is not. Use these coordinates to get there and you’ll find it’s quite easy. 38.439583, -82.529444
Also, they don’t give an address for the cemetery but another related website sends you to 94 Center Street in South Point. That’s someone’s house. Trust me. That’s not where you want to be. Instead, go to Burlington. Once there, search your gps for Center Street and you’ll find it quickly.
These aren’t huge, visually impressive destinations with a lot to do. However, it’s a special thing to visit a place with this kind of history and simply appreciate your surroundings and soak in the gravity of what this place represents. Don’t make a special trip to see this church or the cemetery but do combine paying your respects to the Burlington 37 with other things to do in the area.