After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased punishment for abolitionists and rewards for those who facilitated the capture and return of freedom seekers to owners, routes to the East and West from Columbus to Lake Erie stations became more difficult to navigate, so middle routes were often established to evade pursuers. The entire community, and specifically Henry Pickrell and his son Mahlon Pickrell, acted as conductors and station operators in keeping with the Quaker mission: “For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit.”