The Eliza House Marker
This file appears in: "Eliza's House": Home of John Van Zandt
This historical marker notes where John Van Zandt’s used to stand. It is said that Eliza Harris came to Van Zandt’s home after her time in Ripley, Ohio. Van Zandt was sued for his work in helping eight freedom seekers in their escape. Defended by Ohio’s Salmon P. Chase, Van Zandt’s case was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Law.
This file appears in: "Eliza's House": Home of John Van Zandt
"Eliza's House": Home of John Van Zandt
Eliza Harris, the Black woman who sought freedom with her child in 1838, journeyed north from the Rankin house. The further she traveled, the closer safety may have seemed. But the reality was that the Underground Railroad was threatened continually…