Lathrop House

Lucian Lathrop settled in the Sylvania area in 1848. Elected as a representative to the Ohio State Legislature, Lathrop pushed to revise Ohio school laws so that black children could receive an education. He also worked for laws to give slaves a range of legal protections.

During this time, Lathrop and his family also acted as “conductors” on the Underground Railroad, a series of safe houses where blacks escaping slave owners were hidden, fed and rested by sympathetic homeowners as they traveled northward to freedom.

Built in 1853 and originally located at 5362 Main St., the house was moved to Harroun Park under a May 2002 agreement between the Toledo Area Metroparks and the City of Sylvania. Since then, the Metroparks has worked to restore the home and develop public education programs about its history.

Lathrop House is recognized by The National Trust for Historic Preservation as having a significant place in city, state and national history. The site is also recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad by the Friends of Freedom Society/Ohio Underground Railroad Association.

For more information on Lathrop House and its history, please visit these sites:

The Lathrop House Recent History Timeline

The Lathrop House, Toledo Area Metroparks