Posted By: Billie Harris
Date Posted: Nov 7, 2008
Description: This is the middle of a one page brochure on "The Lewelling Quaker Shrine, Inc. The Quakers and The Underground Railroad, Salem, Iowa" It reads:
"Henderson Lewelling of Salem, Iowa, Father of West Coast Fruit Industry.
"The Bing that made Milwaukie famous" owes its origin to a man who was born in Randolph County, North Carolina on April 23, 1810. Henderson Lewelling's parents were of early pioneer stock and Quakers. His Father, a Welshman, came of a family which had been in America several generations. his mother was of English extraction. The father, a physician - conducted a plant nursery in combination with his efforts at psysic and surgery. There were two other sons - Seth and John. the family moved to Greensboro, Ind. in 1825 where Henderson married Elizabeth Presnell.
"Henderson and his brother John operated a nursery first in Henderson County, Ind. in Henry County, Iowa at Salem to which state they moved in 1837. Here they operated a nursery and store of general merchandise. They spent ten years in Salem cultivating shrubs, vines, trees and much nursery stock on the grounds of the present Lewelling Quaker Shrine.
"The present sand stone building housing the Lewelling Quaker Shrine was completed some time between 1840 and the fall of 1845 when Henderson Lewelling first began to talk of moving on to Oregon. The Lewelling home became widely known as the 'ticket office of the underground railroad' for runaway slaves, especially out of Missouri. Slaves were hidden in various secret places of the building until they could be safely moved on east and north to Canada and freedom.
"These hiding places are still intact in the Shrine which is being preserved in Salem, Iowa as a monument to the memory of the Quaker settlers of the area, who were opposed to the enslavement of the black man."
Photograph courtesy of Oregon Historical Society
Date Taken: unknown, but other bruchure I have is dated April 13, 1969
Place Taken: Unknown
Owner: Lewelling Quaker Shrine