A Safe Haven

One of the things I adore about homeschooling is that I keep learning right along with my kids. It is amazing the people I have studied about now that I just don't recall learning much about in school. That is not to say I didn't, I just don't recall. One of the people we studied this year with Bean's Indiana History class was Levi Coffin. Portrait of Levi Coffin

What an amazing man of God who acted on his faith during a time of certain unrest in our country. Levi and his wife, Catherine, welcomed around 2000 runaway slaves into their home near Richmond, Indiana. We visited this home last week with our buddies, the Stumpf's.How sweet is she?!!! Love that little buddy! :)

The tour began outside the house with all of the kids sitting in this cool little arbor listening to one of the tour guides share some facts about the Coffin family history.

Some of our favorite spots in the house were:

The well that was inside the house, actually the basement! It was just found a few years ago under layers of concrete. Now look at it! Can't even tell, but the water is up to the rim as the well sits on a spring. Very cool!
Another great spot was this tiny door was the opening to a long closet type hiding place where the Coffins hid slaves if ever needed. It was the full length of the house. The bed next to it could be moved over to block the opening if needed. The girls were entralled with the thought of hiding people there or in between the bed mattresses which were just full of feathers or hay. Amazing!
One of my favorite parts was when our tour guide, who I so believe was a Christian woman, had the kids take a minute to sit on the floor in the dining room. She asked them to be still for a moment and think about the 2000 slaves that had been there before them. She wanted them to really imagine what it might have been like for them, what would they have felt, how would they have had to trust these white men and women and most of all their God. I was really moved by how still the kids got and what seemed to be a real moment of reflection.