Daniel Howell Hise House
Encyclopedia
The Daniel Howell Hise House is an historic home that was part of the Underground Railroad
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and is located in Salem, Ohio
.
Built in the early 1850s by his father, the house was occupied by Hise and his wife Margaret in 1875, 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 Underground Railroad
.
Inspired by the words of Amos Gilbert, Daniel Hise served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Western Anti-slavery Society
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
, and from 1849 to 1855, Hise made his home available to fleeing slaves as well as abolitionist luminaries such as Oliver Johnson, Henry C. Wright, Parker Pillsbury
and Charles C. Burleigh.
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.
featured the House in a painting made during his life in Salem.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is located in Salem, Ohio
Salem, Ohio
Salem is a city in northern Columbiana County and extreme southern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. At the 2000 census, the city's population was 12,197....
.
National Register-designated significance
The house is listed on the National Register forto social and African-American history, as well as for the local notoriety of its namesake, Daniel Howell Hise.History and role in abolitionism
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Inspired by the words of Amos Gilbert, Daniel Hise served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Western Anti-slavery Society
American Anti-Slavery Society
The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often spoke at its meetings. William Wells Brown was another freed slave who often spoke at meetings. By 1838, the society had...
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
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
, and from 1849 to 1855, Hise made his home available to fleeing slaves as well as abolitionist luminaries such as Oliver Johnson, Henry C. Wright, Parker Pillsbury
Parker Pillsbury
Parker Pillsbury was an American minister and advocate for abolition and women's rights.Pillsbury was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts...
and Charles C. Burleigh.
Daniel Howell Hise
Daniel Howell Hise was born in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
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.
Legacy in American art
The American watercolorist Charles E. BurchfieldCharles E. Burchfield
Charles Ephraim Burchfield was an American painter and visionary artist, known for his passionate watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes...
featured the House in a painting made during his life in Salem.