Moscow
Underground Railroad and Abolitionist Sites

(6) Lindale Baptist Church and Cemetery

Lindale Baptist Church was the church of Andrew Coombs, Jr. (1805-1864). Coombs was the organizing secretary of the Gilead Anti-Slavery Society in 1836. Coombs’ residence was once located next to the Lindale Church. It became a way station between John Rankin in Ripley and Levi Coffin in Cincinnati. His burial site is located in the cemetery immediately behind the church. (3052 St. Rt. 132, Amelia)

(7) Clermont / Parker Academy

This monument commemorates the site of the Parker Academy, a private school organized in 1839. It was open to students of both genders (co-ed) and all races. Edwin Mathews, a former slave of James G. Birney, was the first black student enrolled. Plantation owners brought their bi-racial children here to be educated. Many of the children of Clermont’s abolitionists were also enrolled. On at least one-occasion slave hunters came to the school in search of a fugitive. 1,500 students attended the school during its fifty-three year history. (1324 Clermontville-Laurel Rd.)

(8) Robert E. Fee Burial Site - Moscow Cemetery

Robert E. Fee (1796-1879), an active conductor in Moscow, was a member of Clermont County’s most prominent Underground Railroad family. His father Thomas Sr., brother Thomas Jr., sister Nancy and cousins in nearby Felicity are also documented conductors. Robert E. Fee, his wife, Catherine Ebersole and their children are all buried at this location. Catherine was the sister of Jacob Ebersole who was also active in Underground Railroad activities. (Off St. Rt. 52 on Cemetery Rd., Moscow)

(9) Robert E. Fee Home Site

On this parcel of land was once the residence of Robert E. Fee (1796-1879). Fee became involved in the rescue attempt of Fanny Wigglesworth and her four children, who were kidnapped and enslaved. After two unsuccessful attempts, he dedicated himself to helping the enslaved escape to freedom. In 1852, Fee was indicted by Pendleton County, Kentucky Grand Jury for slave stealing, however the Governor of Ohio refused to extradite him to stand trial. (Water St., Moscow - “at the north end of Water St. & Wells St.”)

(10) Fee Villa

Once the residence of Thomas Fee, Jr. (1801-1862), the Fee Villa was a stop on the Underground Railroad in Moscow. It is located on the Ohio River, facing Pendleton County, Kentucky. The glow of lit candles in windows acted as a signal to escaping slaves that the building was a safe house. The fugitives were harbored in the basement. After being fed and clothed from the onsite general store, they were transported to Felicity, the next stop in Clermont County. Thomas Fee, Jr. was a member of the prominent abolitionist Fee family of Bracken County, Kentucky and Clermont County, Ohio. Fee’s father Thomas Sr., brother Robert, and sister Nancy were also very involved in the Underground Railroad. (110 Water St., Moscow)

(11) The Kidnapping of Fanny Wigglesworth

On October 30, 1842, several men broke into the home of Fanny and Vincent Wigglesworth. They kidnapped Fanny and her four children and enslaved them. They eventually were taken to Platte County, Missouri. Robert E. Fee, of Moscow, became the agent of Vincent Wigglesworth. Fee traveled to Missouri on two occasions for the purpose of bringing the family back home. Two of the kidnappers were indicted by the State of Ohio and the Governor of Ohio executed extradition papers. The two were arrested but soon released. Unfortunately, the Wigglesworth family did not return and their fate remains a mystery. (St. Rt. 743, Big Indian Rd., Washington Township)

(12) Old Calvary Methodist Church

The Calvary Methodist Church was once located on this site before the brick structure was built across the road. On November 4, 1842, members of the community met at the church to discus the kidnapping of Fanny Wigglesworth and her four children by a gang of armed Kentuckians. In attendance at the meeting were future U.S. Congressman David Fisher and Ohio State Senator Doughty Utter. The group condemned the act as “a heinous crime” and petitioned the Governor of the Ohio to intervene on the family’s behalf. The Wigglesworth family was carried off to Kentucky and eventually to Missouri. (St. Rt. 756, Moscow)