Press Release
Adams County’s Underground Railroad story continues to come into sharper focus this spring. On Saturday, April 18, two additional sites—the Wickerham Inn and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Union—will be formally added to the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, with public marker dedication ceremonies held at both locations. Supported by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER Grant awarded to the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), the designations mark another major step for the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative.
The two sites join the John T. Wilson and Kirker family homesteads, dedicated in 2025, expanding a growing cluster of verified locations in and around West Union that anchor Adams County’s place within the emerging Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour. When complete, the nine-county tour will connect 27 Network to Freedom sites across Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, preserving the region’s freedom stories while advancing heritage tourism and economic development.
The marker texts explain the sites’ connections to secret activities of the Underground Railroad:
Wickerham Inn on Zane’s Trace
Built between 1800 and 1801 by Peter Wickerham, this two-story brick inn and tavern stood along the historic Zane’s Trace near Locust Grove. The Wickerham Inn and Tavern played a vital role in linking the Underground Railroad network in Adams County. Freedom seekers traveled from West Union and Manchester along Zane’s Trace, or followed Ripley’s eastern Route through Red Oak, Decatur, Cherry Fork, Mt. Leigh, and Tranquility. The Wickerhams, who identified as Scotch Covenanters, were staunch opponents of slavery and helped guide freedom seekers into Highland County. The Wickerham and related Ammen and McCague families risked much to assist those seeking freedom.
Joe Logan and the West Union Underground Network
Escaping slavery in North Carolina in 1822, Joe Logan (c.1797–1849) reunited with his family in Adams County and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. In partnership with Rev. John Graham (1798–1849), whose Associate Reformed Presbyterian faith compelled anti-slavery action on behalf of the oppressed, Logan helped guide freedom seekers through the Appalachian foothills to safe houses further north. This church building, constructed in 1835 and now home to the Adams County Historical Society, stands as a memorial to Graham’s abolitionist ministry and the interracial collaboration that sustained West Union’s Network to Freedom.
The first dedication will be held starting at 11 a.m. at the Wickerham Inn, 28136 SR-41 in Peebles.
The second dedication begins at 1 p.m. in West Union at the Adams County Heritage Center (Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church) at 262 Heritage Way, the current home of the Adams County Historical Society and Adams County Genealogical Society, marking the story of Joe Logan and the West Union Underground Network.
“With four sites now recognized in Adams County,” explained Andrew Feight, Ph.D., the Director of Research and Outreach for the Initiative, “a clearer picture of the Underground Railroad in the region is coming into focus. These places demonstrate how freedom seekers were aided through interracial cooperation, supported by the antislavery convictions of antislavery Presbyterians, and guided along routes like Zane’s Trace. Together, they reveal a coordinated network of people and places that made Adams County a critical corridor to freedom.”
Tom Cross, director of the Adams County Tourism, added, “This is an occasion where Adams County can proudly reflect on its past as not only were these historical sites proven to be involved in the Underground Railroad, but during the time leading up to the Civil War, history reflects that churches, pastors, and many brave individuals such as Peter Wickerham were deeply involved in the abolitionist movement in Adams County, Ohio.”
Megan McCarty, a local resident and Outreach Specialist with the Initiative, remarked “This acknowledgement from the National Park Service is as a reminder of the vital role our ‘river county’ played in assisting African Americans and their struggle for freedom. It is essential for residents and visitors to not only recognize the role Adams County played during this critical point in history. But realize that these local families were willing to risk their own lives and property to assist people they never knew or would never see again all for the sake of justice and freedom.”
The Network to Freedom program, created by Congress in 1998, highlights more than 800 places and programs. The Network verifies that each one is a true story about the men, women and children who freed themselves or were helped by others to escape enslavement. Some succeeded and others, tragically, failed. The Network to Freedom program has listings in 41 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
For more information on the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tourism Initiative, visit www.appalachianfreedom.com.
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