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Union Literary Institute

1846 establishments in Indiana1880 disestablishments in IndianaAfrican-American history of IndianaAfrican-American magazinesAmerican manual labor schools
Antebellum educational institutions that admitted African AmericansBuildings and structures in Randolph County, IndianaEducation in Randolph County, IndianaEducational institutions disestablished in 1880Educational institutions established in 1846Tourist attractions in Randolph County, IndianaUnderground Railroad in Indiana
Union Literary Institute
Union Literary Institute

The Union Literary Institute, located in rural Randolph County, Indiana, at 8605 East County Road 600 South, Union City, Indiana (at its founding, "two miles east of Spartanburg"), was a historic school founded in 1846 primarily for blacks by abolitionist Quakers and free blacks in three local communities. Only white students were allowed to attend the public schools in the state. The term "literary institute" at the time meant a non-religious school. This school was among the handful in the United States of the time that admitted both black and white students; it was the first in Indiana. The school closed in 1864 during the Civil War, when its only teacher enlisted in the United States Colored Troops. The students published a magazine from 1863-1864, which included articles by adults. The school re-opened after the war, operating until 1880; it closed because of declining enrollment. In 1924, after three decades of court challenges, the state acquired the building and the remaining 120 acres of the original site. The county had operated the structure as a segregated public school in the late nineteenth century. In the early 20th century, the structure was converted for use as a storage barn. In 2016 a historical marker was erected at the former school, noting its valuable history. It is within the Ohio River National Freedom Corridor.

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Union Literary Institute
East 600 S,

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Latitude Longitude
N 40.077222222222 ° E -84.816388888889 °
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East 600 S 8619
47390
Indiana, United States
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Union Literary Institute
Union Literary Institute
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James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead
James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead

The James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead is a historic farm situated in western Darke County, Ohio, United States. Located at 467 Stingley Road, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Indiana border, it is among the oldest remaining buildings of a small community of free African-Americans founded before the Civil War. Natives of Rockingham County, Virginia, James and Sophia Clemens settled in Darke County in 1818 and became prosperous farmers. Their success led other former slaves to migrate to the vicinity, and a community known as "Longtown" (alternately "Tampico") gradually grew up in the vicinity of the Clemens farm. Over the years, the community became a center for the Underground Railroad, complete with a Quaker school known as the Union Literary Institute; among the movement's leaders in the community were the Clemens family. The Clemens house itself was erected circa 1850 on land purchased in 1822. The two-story brick I-house rests on a limestone foundation and is covered with a tin roof. Though the house is presently uninhabited, a movement to restore the house and designate Longtown a state historic landmark began in the mid-2000s. The Clemens house itself has been designated a historic site, having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, along with the other building on the property. It qualified for the Register both because of its place in local history and its association with James Clemens, who was seen as a significant individual in the history of Darke County.