Stephen Sharp House on the Underground Railroad

The Stephen Sharp House stands at 8025 Africa Road in Westerville, Ohio. This historic residence served as a station on the Underground Railroad, providing refuge to enslaved people seeking freedom before the Civil War.

The Sharp House’s history is connected to the Sharp family, early settlers of Westerville. Garrit Sharp, the family patriarch, arrived around 1810 in “Sharp’s Settlement.” He contributed to the community by donating land for Westerville’s first Methodist church and helping establish the Blendon Young Men’s Seminary, which later became Otterbein University. Otterbein admitted African Americans and women from its founding in 1847. Garrit Sharp and his sons were abolitionists. 

The Sharp family homes on N. State Street and Africa Road were part of the Underground Railroad route through Westerville. Freedom seekers would move between these homes, including Garrit’s home (the Alkire House) at 259 N. State Street, Stephen’s home at 8025 Africa Road, and Joseph’s home at 8216 Africa Road. Individuals would continue north from these locations to a Quaker settlement in Morrow County.

Basement of the Sharp House

Stephen Alfred Sharp, a son of Garrit, was a teacher and justice of the peace. His home at 8025 Africa Road was built between 1857 and 1858. This house is an example of mid-nineteenth-century rural architecture in Delaware County. A stone and brick fireplace within the house concealed a tunnel, allowing individuals to access a dug-out earthen area for hiding. Doorknobs in the house were designed to accommodate Stephen, who had lost the use of one hand due to a childhood injury. The Stephen Sharp House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The Stephen Sharp House represents a part of Westerville’s history, particularly its connection to the Underground Railroad.

Beginning in 2023, the City of Westerville initiated an economic development project by acquiring 88 acres for the East of Africa project to expand its Westar Place business park for commercial use and job growth. This project includes infrastructure development and a commitment to preserving the Sharp House for adaptive reuse, integrating historical assets into the city’s future growth.

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