George DeBaptiste played a vital role in Indiana's anti-slavery movement. His Madison home stands -- just barely -- in the city's historic Georgetown neighborhood.

George DeBaptiste House

Madison

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Without swift help, a rare landmark of African American history will crumble. Strong evidence suggests that George DeBaptiste, a prominent leader of the anti-slavery movement and Underground Railroad activist, lived in a c.1830 house in Madison. Today, most passers-by would call the house in the Georgetown neighborhood a ruin.

A free black who managed the Madison station on the Underground Railroad, DeBaptiste aided slaves escaping from Kentucky by conducting them to nearby Lancaster, where others hid the refugees before helping them travel north. With help from a Madison lawyer, DeBaptiste challenged a state law established in 1831 that required free blacks to pay a $500 bond to remain in the state. He later served as William Henry Harrison’s personal valet and White House steward, returning to Madison following Harrison’s death in 1841.

The roof and masonry walls of the Federal-style house are collapsing, the interior floors gone.  Unaware until recently of the townhouse’s significant history, the owners say they may transfer the building to a nonprofit that could raise funds for immediate stabilization and restoration.

For more information contact:

Greg Sekula

Director, Indiana Landmarks’ Southern Regional Office, Jeffersonville

812-284-4534

gsekula@indianalandmarks.org

Camille Fife

Preservation Planner, City of Madison

812-239-1107 or 812-265-8300

wgimadison@aol.com