Wittemberg landmarks gain Underground Railroad designation

Two Jasper County landmarks that served as a sanctuary for escaped slaves in the 1850s and 1860s have gained inclusion into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

The designation follows an arduous process by local historian Larry Hurto, who began work on the effort two years ago and logged some 500 hours researching the Wittemberg community, home to the Wittemberg Church and Cemetery, located about four miles north of Newton.

The Wittemberg community was settled by natives of southern Ohio, many of whom were committed to anti-slavery principles.

The founders established the Wittemberg Manual Labor College in 1855. Any student or shareholder regardless of class, race, or gender who was not a slaveholder was welcomed.

The college, a technical school for agriculture, mechanical arts and domestic science, was founded largely by pioneers of the Wittemberg church who practiced the Free Presbyterian faith, an offshoot of the Presbyterian faith that opposed slavery.

Hurto said in 1861 and 1862 there were 28 escaped slaves in Newton. They found refuge on the farms near Wittemberg, Hurto said, and people in the community fed and sheltered them while teaching them farming techniques.

At least four of the former slaves would go on to fight in the Civil War, Hurto said.

“They [Wittemberg Community] embraced so many social reforms that were so far ahead of their times,” Hurto said. “They were pioneers in the women’s rights movement, in the land reform movement … and the labor reform movement. They were absolutely a truly unique community of folks.”

The college, which operated from 1856 to 1869, had an enrollment of 50 to 80 students, according to Hurto’s research. In 1890, the college buildings were demolished.

The college was situated between four fields of land, which were used as part of curriculum.

“One of the requirements for people to enroll at the school was that they put in two hours of manual labor doing farm work — both students and instructors,” Hurto said.

They also taught mechanical arts and domestic skills, Hurto said.

“I assume that if an escaped slave came here the resident who took him in his care paid his tuition,” Hurto said. “What a remarkable enterprise.”

The Wittemberg Cemetery serves as the resting place to both founders of the community, and others who played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, Hurto said. The Wittemberg Church today has a small congregation, and still holds regular services.

The most striking story among the Wittemberg history is about four slaves who escaped from a Missouri farm in 1861 en route to Canada, Hurto said. The four found refuge in Wittemberg. One of those men, John Ross Miller, is famous among freedom seekers, Hurto said. He went on to serve in the Union army during the Civil War, made his home in Newton and later found work at the State Historical Building.

The men made their way to Wittemberg along the “network of freedom,” Hurto said, making stops in Winterset and Indianola, known stations of the Underground Railroad. One source said the men sought shelter in Prairie City before arriving in Newton.

“They had some sense of where they could get help,” Hurto said.

The owner of a Newton grocery store, John Meyer, served as the first stop for escaped slaves, Hurto said. Meyer, who had Ohio roots and previously taught at the Wittemberg College, was the connection to the community, Hurto said.

The former slaves were welcomed to the community by John King and his wife, Elizabeth, who hid them in a barn for safety until they could be established in the community.

“They essentially were scofflaws, they were breaking the law,” Hurto said. “These folks at Wittemberg believed that slavery was a sin against God and a crime against man.”

Deanda Johnson, Midwest regional coordinator for the National UGRR Network to Freedom, said Wittemberg’s story is meaningful.

“The Wittemberg Church and Cemetery serve as an important example of how the Underground Railroad is really an important migration story. Not only of the freedom seekers, but the people who assisted them in their journeys to freedom,” Johnson said. “Many of those that comprised the Wittemberg community did not begin their Underground Railroad activities in Iowa, but carried them with them from Ohio.”

The National Park Service oversees the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. The program extols the historical significance of the Underground Railroad in the eradication of slavery and the evolution of the national civil rights movement.

The National Park Service, through shared leadership with local, state and federal entities, will promote programs and partnerships to commemorate and preserve sites and educate the public about the historical significance of the Underground Railroad.

Hurto hopes the designation will become draw for tourists, and will also open the door for grant opportunities.

Linda Wormley, sexton of the Wittemberg Cemetery who lives in the nearby Wittemberg Grange, said the Underground Railroad distinction is important.

“I am thrilled to have the designation, I grew up in the area and it wasn’t talked about when I was a child,” Wormley said. “Larry has done a tremendous job and we’re thrilled to have those people who were active the Underground Railroad in our cemetery.”

Contact Editor Abigail Pelzer at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com.