Andrew Powell Home Site — Underground Railroad

This quiet roadside spot marks the former home of Andrew Powell, a prosperous businessman who used a distinctive Underground Railroad method in Clermont County. Powell owned an ornate private carriage that was well known throughout the region. He turned that visibility into a shield, using the carriage to transport freedom seekers from the Ohio River northward to the town of Felicity.

The very respectability of the carriage, its familiar silhouette on country roads, may have made it less suspicious than a covered wagon or a hurried rider on horseback. Clermont County sits just north of the Ohio River crossing from Kentucky, placing Powell's home near routes that freedom seekers used after crossing the river.