The Lathrop House: Sylvania, Ohio

The Fugitive Act of 1850 made it illegal for U.S. citizens to help slaves escape to freedom and the law dictated that you must aid in the capture of slaves if asked. All those disregarding this act, and were caught, were either sent to jail for six months, fined five-thousand dollars, or suffered the loss of their property. Not only did David and Clarissa Harroun ignore the law itself, but they also created a path along the Ten Mile Creek that led to a house where fugitive slaves were hidden. This house, historically referred to as the Lathrop House, has taken on many obstacles in attempt to maintain its integrity and historical value. Looking forward, the Lathrop House will undergo four phases of renovation—each of which interprets the past and present lives of the occupants who lived there.

Much debate has taken place in the past few years regarding the Lathrop House. Three disputing parties have proposed ideas for the house: demolition, moving the house off site, and leaving the house on site. St. Joseph Church proposed demolishing the house to expand their parish. Later they agreed of the formation of the Friends of the Lathrop House—of which membership consisted mainly of parishioners. Initially, the Friends of the Lathrop House have proposed moving the house off the churches site to allow more room for the school. There laid concern regarding the history of the basement, and the effect it would have on the new site. Within weeks, the Friends of the Lathrop House changed their mind about moving the house onto a different site. The city of Sylvania and the Friends of the Lathrop House now want to keep the house on its original site to preserve the basement, and to show how the ravine behind the house was used to transport slaves across the community. Just recently, in 2007, there has been a public outcry over the damages to the ravine behind the houses original site. The ravine has been bulldozed when a pond was created in the Metro Parks. Possible steps have been taken into consideration regarding restoring the ravine.

Upon the proposal of the movement of the Lathrop House, more debates took place. To start, Sylvania’s Mayor, Craig A. Stough, and St. Joseph’s church had both agreed to move the house to the north end of the church parking lot to sit on a cliff, such a move would restrict the accessibility and place the house in peril with the potential of erosion to the new site. City Council, trying to remain loyal to the tax-paying citizens of Sylvania, disapproved of this location, and they demanded a fair exchange in the value of land compared to that of the original site of the Lathrop House. The local Metro Parks provided two major public sessions to receive input from the citizens of Sylvania, and beyond, regarding the location of the Lathrop House. Unfortunately, without notice, the church placed the house onto rollers and moved it directly next to its original site, bulldozing the original basement—all in an attempt to end discussions regarding whether the Lathrop House was going to be moved or not. Due to the demolition of the basement, the house could no longer be placed back onto its original site, and was forced to be placed in another location.