The Daniel Howell Hise House is an historic home that was part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is located in

Salem, Ohio Salem is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,915 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Salem was founded by Quakers in 1806 and played a key role in the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist ...

National Register-designated significance

The house is listed on the National Register for social and African-American history, as well as for the local notoriety of its namesake, Daniel Howell Hise.

History and role in abolitionism

Built in 1838 by his father, the house was occupied by Hise and his wife Margaret in the 1850s, when they rechristened the home, ''Unserheim'' (“our home” in German), and made several alterations to the property, including construction of several hiding places for fleeing slaves. These renovations—including hidden rooms in the basement and a barn on the property—made the house a viable stop on the

. Inspired by the words of Amos Gilbert, Daniel Hise served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Western

Anti-slavery Society Anti-Slavery Society was a name used by various abolitionist groups including: United Kingdom * Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1787–1807?), also referred to as the Abolition Society * Anti-Slavery Society (1823–1838) ...

and helped organize the city of Salem's then-annual Anti-Slavery Fair (a local fundraiser for abolitionist causes). He strongly agreed with the philosophies of

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...

, and from 1849 to 1855, Hise made his home available to fleeing slaves as well as abolitionists including Oliver Johnson,

Henry C. Wright Henry Clarke Wright (August 29, 1797 – August 16, 1870) was an American abolitionist, pacifist, anarchist and feminist. He was fervent in his beliefs and often was more extreme in his rhetoric than other peace activists or abolitionists. Wright ...

Parker Pillsbury Parker Pillsbury (September 22, 1809 – July 7, 1898) was an American minister and advocate for abolition and women's rights. Life Pillsbury was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He moved to Henniker, New Hampshire where he later farmed and wo ...

, and Charles C. Burleigh.

Daniel Howell Hise

Daniel Howell Hise was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

on September 12, 1813, and moved with his family to Salem in 1819. In his youth, he worked as a steamboat engineer in Alabama during the summers, and he eventually found work in his adopted hometown in blacksmithing, toolmaking, roofing, and kiln operation. Notably, Hise did not consider himself a “suitable leader for the reform movements in existence,” but rather acted as an ardent supporter of abolitionism, in addition to other causes like women's suffrage and temperance. Hise kept a vivid diary from December 29, 1846, until his death on November 17, 1878. Published by a local book company in 1933 at the request of Hise's daughter, Nora, the entries have provided a window on the history of Salem and its role in the Underground Railroad.Hise, Daniel Howell. ''The Hise journals : a Diary of the Life of Daniel Howell Hise from the Year 1846 to 1878''; ''Addendum Diary by Edwin Hise from the Year 1879 to 1883''. New ed., 2001.

Legacy in American art

The American watercolorist

Charles E. Burchfield Charles Ephraim Burchfield (April 9, 1893 – January 10, 1967) was an American Painting, painter and visionary artist, known for his passionate watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes. The largest collection of Burchfield's paintings, archiv ...

featured the House in a painting made during his life in Salem.

Current status

The Daniel Howell Hise House is a private residence, and is not open to the public.

References