The safe house was saved and moved from its original location
at the posted coordinates after the catholic church bought the
property and had plans to demolish it to make room for the new
school to the south. Wreckers had already torn down the garage when
the house became the center of a controversy and was saved by
concerned citizens who became known as the Friends Of The Lathrop
House. After a court battle and public vote, the City agreed to
move the house to where it stands now. Built in 1835, the house is
one of the oldest in Lucas County.
Lucian Lathrop acquired this house in 1847 and oral histories
reveal that he and David Harroun (Harroun Park), whose farm was
across Main St, were very active in The Underground Railroad. David
Harroun brought fugitive slaves from Maumee to Sylvania in lumber
wagons covered in hay. The slaves were hidden in the attic of the
Harroun house, in the hayloft of the Harroun barn, or in the
Lathrop house in a secret room in the cellar. In 1939, owners
remodeling the basement discovered this secret room complete with
beds. From Sylvania the fugitives were escorted north to French
settlers on the Detroit River where they were ferried to
Canada.
Here are the north coordinates of the Final
N41 42.777. Now add the 4 numbers found at the posted coordinates
and take the sum and add it to these West coordinates 083 42.067 in
the form of 42.0XX.