Descendants celebrate first meeting of Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society

OBERLIN — Descendants of Wilson Bruce Evans gathered in Oberlin on Saturday to commemorate the first meeting of the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society. Wilson Bruce Evans, a freed Black man, ran part of the Underground Railroad in his basement. He was also part of the infamous Oberlin-Wellington rescue of local freedom seeker John Price. The historical society was formed after Oberlin locals wanted to restore Wilson Bruce Evans' home at 33 E. Vine St., built by him and his brother in the 1800s. Both his descendants and local Oberlin historians have worked over the past year to begin rehabilitating the home to eventually open it to the public. Doris Hughes-Moore, the great-great-granddaughter of Wilson Bruce Evans, said the home will be a beacon of a people and a town that came together to save the life of a Black man. Wilson Bruce Evans was born free in North Carolina. He and his wife Sarah Jane Leary Evans joined a network of people in Oberlin — the Copelands, Langstons, Learys, Walls and Scotts — as abolition activists. He spent three months in a Cleveland jail for his work to set John Price free. John Price was a slave who escaped to freedom and found refuge in Oberlin. Slave-catchers led by a U.S. Marshal kidnapped him under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and fled to Wellington to await a train. They wanted to return him to his former owner in Kentucky, but Wilson Bruce Evans and other Oberlin residents marched to set him free. Hughes-Moore said her ancestors always valued education. She said she hopes that opening up the house will teach others the lessons of history. Hughes-Moore recognized the work of her ancestor Dorothy Inborden Miller. Miller, the granddaughter of Wilson Bruce Evans, was born at 33 E. Vine St. and became its owner in 1941. Her work led the house to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1997, not long after her death, the house was declared a National Historic Landmark. The house needs some rehabilitation work. After Miller died, the historic home sat empty for 15 to 20 years. The property was divided among cousins and Hughes-Moore. Carol Lasser, manager of the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society and professor emeritus of history at Oberlin College, said they'd like to rebuild the porch so it reflects how it used to be in 1856. They would also like to have a meeting room and exhibit space. They plan to add ADA-compliant bathrooms as well. Lasser said they want the home to be a place of education about Wilson Bruce Evans and the fight for racial justice. They hope to have the home opened to the public in 2022. Nina Grooms Lee, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Wilson Bruce Evans, said the family is committed to rescue and preserve this history, because it's not just African-American history, but all of America's history. "It deserves to be held up; it deserves to shine," Grooms Lee said. "And it deserves to be told in a way that our whole country can be proud of." Grooms Lee said her ancestors' work to fight for equal rights for African-Americans has given all the descendants pride and strength. Many descendants have gone on to be a first in history, Grooms Lee said. "We never forgot that we were standing on the shoulders of great giants like Wilson, Sarah and Aunt Dot," she said. "... And I know that I'm just continuing down a trail that was blazed for me, my siblings, my cousins and my family so that we can continue to push forward and clear hurdles for our children, our community through our continued struggle for true equality." Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.