A House with a History

Carol Hershey in her art gallery, with an explanation for visitors about the early families who lived in the house. Credit: ThisWeek Worthington

Carol Hershey was interested in issues of inequality and oppression, while leading her artists at the High Road Gallery. She was a passionate advocate for social justice. There is no concrete evidence that the house itself was used to shelter runaway slaves, but there remain many stories of it.

Abner Henry Pinney owned the house from 1830 to 1837. He was one of the signers of the constitution of the Worthington Anti-Slavery Society in 1835, and is listed as a vice president in 1836. From the Worthington Historical Society’s PocketSights’ entry featuring the Anti-Slavery Society: “Forty-two men and twenty-four women signed the constitution at the home of W. S. Spencer on March 28, 1835, making the chapter one of the earliest chapters in Ohio. The objective of both the local Anti-Slavery Society and the state organization was to achieve not only the emancipation of enslaved peoples, but also ‘the emancipation of the colored man from the oppression of public sentiment and unjust laws and the elevation of both (enslaved and free blacks) to an intellectual and moral equality with whites.’ This is a goal toward which people in this country are still working on...Meeting notes from 1837 declare, “We pledge ourselves to support no Man for any office in these United States who is publicly opposed to the Immortal sentiment set forth in the declaration of our Independence. Viz, That All Men are created Equal, That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Come visit the High Road Gallery. Open Friday and Saturday afternoons.