Jamison's Eastern Inn

Jamison’s Eastern Inn

This inn, now a store and apartment building on the corner of north 4^th and Philadelphia street, is where slave catchers, abolitionists, and fugitive slaves at various times stayed throughout the history of the Underground Railroad, dating to the pre-Civil War era of the middle 1800’s.  The inn was owned by John Jamison, the father of young abolitionist Samuel Jamison, who in 1848 hid two fugitive slaves near the old Caldwell farm, which sat on top of a hill facing Indiana.   According to some accounts, he was offered a substantial bribe from two slave catchers staying at his father’s inn, to reveal the location of the two runaway slaves.  Jamison refused the bribe— instead; he collaborated with Sheriff Taylor to find refuge for them at another location more distant from Indiana.  Eventually, this led the slaves to more secure freedom in Canada.