Indiana to dedicate marker to Underground Railroad figure
MADISON, Ind. — An African-American man who risked his life to help escaped slaves to freedom along the 19th century’s Underground Railroad will be honored this week with a historical marker in southern Indiana.
A state historical marker commemorating Chapman Harris will be dedicated Friday during a public ceremony along State Road 56 near the city of Madison in an area that overlooks a scenic stretch of the Ohio River.
Harris was a free African American who moved in 1839 to the southern Indiana city about 40 miles northeast of Louisville, Kentucky, as the fight over slavery along the Ohio River Valley became more violent.