The Underground Railroad conducted slaves to freedom, and Meade County’s location on the Ohio River made it a major artery into Indiana. The Brandenburg Ferry, owned by the Bell family, was an important station on the Underground Railroad. In 1857, a border war between Indiana and Kentucky was averted when Bell family members were released from jail for aiding escaped slave Charles Ditto. Oswell Wright, a free man of color and conductor on the Railroad, served five years in prison for aiding Charles.