The Burrell Homestead

We’ve all heard stories about the Underground Railroad, but we tend to think of it as a part of the distant past. But what if we were to find out that there’s actually part of it in our local community? It would make the Underground Railroad feel a little less faraway, and more like a reality, wouldn’t it? This is why it’s important to take a look at the Burrell Homestead in Sheffield, Ohio. Built by Jabez Burrell in 1820, this homestead served not only as a sanctuary for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad, but also part of Oberlin College. Through a look at the history of the Burrell family and the part they took in the empowerment and liberation of African Americans, we can find inspiration and bravery in local heroes. To this day, this house not only serves as a symbol for hope in the African American community, but it also pushes an awareness of the dangers racism can have on a community.

According to Dan Burress in his article about Jabez Burrell, Captain Jabez Burrell first traveled to Sheffield, Ohio from Massachusetts in 1815 and purchased 300 acres of land where the Burrell Homestead now stands. He brought his family the following year, and in 1820, the Burrell Homestead was built near the Black River (Burress). Erin Robichauld, a member of the Ohio History Service Corps, mentions that the remaining land was used for orchards, cropland, pastureland, etc in her article “Burrell Homestead” (Robichauld). While there were several Burrell children, two in particular are relevant to the African American history of this location: Jabez Lyman and Robbins. These brothers were both avid abolitionists, and their involvement in the community has significantly influenced the impactful history and stories that the Burrell Homestead holds. 

According to Matt Kocsis, a local historian and naturalist for the Lorain County Metroparks, the Burrell family were strict Congregationalists, so the family was very religious, and Jabez was involved in setting up the church when settlers arrived Sheffield in 1815 (Kocsis). His son Jabez Lyman, during the 1820s, then studied to become a minister. However, due to health reasons, he was unable to follow through with a missionary career. Reverend John Shipherd, one of his instructors, was one of the founders of Oberlin College (at the time, called Oberlin Collegiate Institute or OCI), which was a progressive institution that promoted equality, and was the first college in the United States to admit black students. In turn, Jabez Lyman became one of the trustees of OCI. Due to this family connection with OCI, in 1836, the homestead served as the location for the agricultural branch of the college, and Robbins (Jabez Burrell’s other son) was appointed as Practical Farmer for OCI (Robichauld). Thus, the Sheffield Manual Labor Institute was born. It closed after only one year. The state of Ohio required that the institute deny education to black students to receive its charter. However, as avid abolitionists, the Burrell brothers and other trustees agreed that it was best to shut the institution down altogether (Kocsis).

This part of the Burrell Homestead’s history alone plays such an important role in African American history. The first black student at Oberlin College, James Bradley, studied at the Sheffield Manual Labor Institute (Kocsis). This was such an important step in getting rights for African Americans, and the Burrells’ active role in this is truly inspiring. By shutting down the Institute when the State of Ohio tried to prevent them from schooling African Americans, the Burrells did what they believed was right, even though it was difficult. They refused to participate in institutionalized racism, which was extremely progressive for their time. This part of the homestead’s history highlights the ways in which racism influenced institutions and the damage it caused to the community. From 1837 onward, Jabez Lyman and Robbins participated in the Underground Railroad using the Homestead. Though there are no official records of the process due to keeping the Burrell family and the liberated African Americans safe, there have been oral accounts given by family members. According to Kocsis, on their road to freedom, runaway slaves would come to Oberlin (Kocsis). From there, Jabez Lyman would assist in hiding them in a wagon, covering them with produce to keep them out of sight. Upon arriving in Sheffield, they would then hide in the granary behind the main house. From the Burrell Homestead, Captain Aaron Root, a cousin of the Burrells, would take the self-liberated people via boat to Canada.

Interestingly, the homestead didn’t only serve as a stop for African Americans on their way to freedom. According to Michael Fitzpatrick, a journalist for The Morning Journal, Robbins Burrell likely “used his home as a decoy” (Fitzpartick). Matt Kocsis agrees with this sentiment. As Robbins Burrell was a very outspoken abolitionist, the homestead was likely one of the first places a bounty hunter would check when looking for runaways (Kocsis). Because of this, he might happily allow bounty hunters to check his house, when in reality, the runaways were safely hidden off the property at a co-conspirators home. Additionally, Jabez Lyman and Robbins’ purportedly would have public disputes to make it appear that Jabez Lyman disagreed with Robbins’ abolitionist views. In reality, however, Jabez Lyman was assisting Robbins by transporting the runaways from his home in Oberlin to Sheffield (Kocsis). In this way, the Burrells and their homestead helped many African Americans reach freedom in many ways.

In 2001, the Burrell Homestead was donated to the Lorain County Metroparks, and though it is closed now, it played a very important role in the community in recent years. In 2009 and several years after, the Lorain County Metroparks hosted an event called “Road to Freedom.” According to Rachel Hagenbaugh in Lorain County’s magazine Pulse, the event “starts with participants acting as slaves who are being transferred from one master to another. From there . . . guests interact with costumed re-enactors and determine whether they have a chance to escape and make their way to a safe place with the assistance of Underground Railroad conductors and station masters” (Hagenbaugh). In this way, the participants in the event could see the horrors and realities of slavery. Participants can understand the fear, panic, and horror that these self-liberated people faced, and it could open their eyes to the realities of slavery and racism. By making the past present, the Burrell Homestead continues to work toward equality and fending off racism.

The Burrell Homestead is a beautiful home with a complex history. From its involvement in Oberlin College, to its part in the Underground Railroad, to its contemporary reenactments of the Underground Railroad, this building holds intriguing lore about Lorain County. Through learning about the Burrells, we can see what it truly means to stay true to oneself and their beliefs–even when it meant shutting down the Sheffield Manual Labor Institute, and even when it meant putting their own lives in danger, this local family did what they believed was right. In doing so, they helped save many lives. By looking at this beautiful property and its history, we can see the horrors of slavery and racism, and in turn, work to ensure that racism does not plague the world going forward.

Cite this page (Chicago): Zientarski, Genevieve. "The Burrell Homestead." LCCC African American History Project. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://sites.google.com/view/lccc-aa-project/the-burrell-homestead?authuser=0.