Prior to the Civil War, Ohio was a leading state for enslaved Americans of African descent traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. For these fugitives, a final stop in Ohio was often a Lake Erie port community in the north. One such port was at the mouth of the Black River in Lorain, identified as Lorain Station 100 because it was thought to be one of the last stops before freedom in Canada. Many arrived in a wagon driven by Robbins Burrell, who owned a farm five miles up the Black River. Concealed by vegetables, grains, or hay, they were smuggled into schooners, some belonging to Burrell’s cousin Captain Aaron Root. From Lorain Station 100, these determined travelers were transported across Lake Erie, completing the final leg of their long journey to freedom.