Black History Month: Homer Goodwin provided aid to slaves

Editor's note: Throughout February, commemorating Black History Month, the Register will profile significant people and noteworthy events related to Sandusky. The following is a piece published by the Sandusky Library History Blog. SANDUSKY — In 1896, Homer Goodwin was the oldest practicing attorney of the Erie County Bar. He was born on Oct. 15, 1819, in Burton, Ohio, in Geauga County, the son of Doctor Erastus Goodwin. Before entering the practice of law, Goodwin was a teacher in the public schools of Sandusky and was an 1844 graduate of the Western Reserve College. He married Marietta Cowles on Oct. 3, 1849, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Rush Sloane wrote, in the July 1888 issue of the Firelands Pioneer, that Goodwin was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Sandusky. He was among a group of individuals who gave money and personal aid to help fugitive slaves escape to freedom. A brochure that gives details about the Underground Railroad in Sandusky lists the former home of Goodwin, at 327 Hancock St., as a "safe house" for those individuals seeking freedom via the Underground Railway. On July 6, 1896, Goodwin died suddenly at his home on Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. A physician was called to his assistance, but nothing could be done, and he died at 6:15 a.m. His funeral happened at his residence on July 8, 1896. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. Goodwin was survived by his brother Lewis H. Goodwin, a judge of Erie County Probate Court; a sister, Mrs. Ross of Wabash, Indiana; and a daughter, Mrs. Denver J. Mackey. The Follett House Museum owns a suit that once belonged to Homer Goodwin.