Lathrop House should stay put

Thank you for your articles informing Toledo about the 1835 Lathrop House (former Vogt residence) now owned by St. Joseph Church in Sylvania. I agree strongly with your editorial supporting preservation of the structure on its existing site. The Lathrop House is a local and national treasure. To demolish or move it would be a huge loss to history.

Like Miles and Julia Lathrop, the Harroun family also sheltered runaway slaves in a barn on their Sylvania farm. This barn has been preserved and maintained by Flower Hospital on their Harroun Road grounds. A ravine through Sylvania’s Harroun Community Park connects the Lathrop House and the Harroun Barn. Oral history tells of slaves traveling the ravine at night between these two safe havens. These could well be the only two connected Underground Railroad properties remaining in the United States today.

What an awesome opportunity the parishioners of St. Joe’s have. The Lathrop House is a tangible piece of history representing early Sylvanians efforts to help slaves gain their freedom. This house should be saved on its original site for future generations, not only in northwest Ohio, but our entire nation.

CAROL R. SCHOEN
Sylvania