# @columbuslibrary on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DGazIcKRTT7
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/33998174-columbuslibrary-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/69fa63c655.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-23T14:30:07.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Columbus Library (@columbuslibrary) — https://gondola.cc/columbuslibrary

## Caption

This Clintonville chapel was an Underground Railroad safe house ➡️

Over 187 years of existence, the chapel has served many purposes: a home, a dairy barn, a horse barn, an apartment house, a prohibition-era speakeasy, an art studio, a funeral home, and now, a childcare facility.

But in 1828, it was the Clinton Chapel. Methodist minister Thomas Bull funded its construction. He purchased about 600 acres along the Columbus-Worthington Pike (now High St.), and upon his death, willed that a half-acre be set aside for a Methodist Church.

Thomas Bull’s three sons went on to establish the village of Clintonville, where the church operated until 1910. The Bull family were abolitionists, and some reports suggest that as many as 300 freedom seekers sought refuge in the chapel, hiding in a small room on the first floor.

The building itself is remarkably sturdy. Glacial boulders make up the foundation and are reported to be several feet deep. The bricks were dug from clay on the property and baked on site, creating walls 21 inches thick at the base (and 16-17 inches at the top). Hand-hewn beams supported the roof, with split oak shingles protecting the building from above.

The building was remodeled in the 1930s for Raymond Southwick who transformed the building into a funeral home. Additions include the exterior columns and portico. It served this purpose for nearly 80 years before it was sold again in 2017.

The building is now home to Balanced Family Academy, a childcare and daycare facility. 

📸 Photograph courtesy Bill Arter’s “Vignettes” series, first published 1966.

📍 The library's "Underground Railroad in Central Ohio" exhibit is on view at the Northside Branch through February. Find an interactive map of Underground Railroad sites in our link in bio.

#ohiohistory #columbushistory #undergroundrailroad

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 329
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 3

## Tags

ohiohistory, undergroundrailroad, columbushistory

---
Copyright (c) Gondola