Gregg Courtad was drawn to a listing for a majestic red-brick Georgian Colonial in Salem, Ohio, a little town east of Canton, by the asking price: $174,900 for the lovely estate on more than half an acre on a shady street just steps from downtown. Main suppliers
The house's history, though, pushed him to purchase it. A tunnel beneath the cellar floor, accessed under a grate in the kitchen, was formerly a stop on the Underground Railroad, a system that let escaped slaves to freedom.
“Knowing that this house was involved in the fight against slavery is amazing. It instills in me a profound sense of obligation to look for the house and commemorate the people who lived here,” says Dr. Courtad, a Spanish professor at the adjacent University of Mount Union in Alliance. Since buying the five-bedroom house for $169,000 in 2017, he has spent thousands of dollars refurbishing it, with a particular focus on the two-story portico supported by 17-foot white columns. In Salem, the historic headquarters of the Western Anti-Slavery Society and a hotbed of the abolitionist and women's suffrage movements in the 19th century, there are dozens of such former safe homes. Residents, many of whom were Quakers, welcomed the freedom seekers on their way to Canada into their homes. It was a brave gesture in an era when individuals who assisted fugitive slaves faced serious punishments under the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850.
Salem, which is midway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, was founded in 1806 and grew wealthy through manufacturing and agriculture, with businesses producing everything from engines to plumbing fixtures to china plates. Its economic collapse began in the 1970s, when industries began to leave as part of the region's overall deindustrialization.
According to the most recent census data, the town's 11,600 residents are 93 percent white. Black people make approximately 1.9 percent of the population. After the hospital, the largest employment is a meat-packaging company named Fresh Mark, where some of the workers are Guatemalans. With 3.7 percent of the population, they are part of the town's second-largest group, Hispanic or Latino people. 71.5 percent of Columbiana County, where Salem is located, voted for Republican Party nominee Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
The old mansions on tree-lined lanes are relics of the town's former prosperity. New purchasers have been buying them up in the last year, according to real estate professionals, lured by the charming downtown and inexpensive rates. Despite a 12.7 percent increase in May this year compared to a year ago, the median listing price of properties is still relatively low at $138,000, or $94 per square foot. The National Register of Historic Places has listed over 80 original structures on only one street.
Sherri and Benjamin Wallace recently purchased a property in March that included an Underground Railroad tunnel in the basement. Mr. Wallace, a Black IT engineer from Cleveland, adds, "The history of the house means a lot more to me because of the things I've experienced with growing up."
The 33-year-old couple paid $162,000 for the 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home built about 1840.
They relocated to Salem with their three children from Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb, since they fell in love with the house and it was within their budget. They didn't do any research before moving in, so they were astonished to learn that they were among the town's few Black residents, which made them feel uneasy. They are optimistic that they will begin to feel more at ease.
“I feel like this house was being held only for my family,” says Ms. Wallace, a stay-at-home mom. “I hope we can make it the greatest it can be.”
Until recently, many people in Salem, including some who had lived there their whole lives, had a patchwork grasp of the town’s role in the Underground Railroad. Others were only vaguely aware of the work of the Society of Friends, who were previously active abolitionists in town, even though the local high school’s sport teams are named the Quakers, says Karen Carter, a member of the Salem Preservation Society who grew up in the town. “People were clueless. They didn’t take any pleasure in their history,” adds Ms. Carter. “Now people are more aware.”
The increasing awareness is largely the result of work by Salem’s Historical Society, which has been building local support and developing displays of historic objects. The group started collecting properties in 1971, and today has five buildings in the center of town that house museum spaces and a library.