Clinton Chapel/Balanced Family Academy

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This site was home to the original Clinton Chapel which was built in 1838 on land owned by Jason Bull. The Bull Family arrived in Clinton Township in the early 1800s. Led by Jason’s father Thomas Bull, a Methodist minister, they were strong abolitionists. Jason was a known conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves on their journey to Canada. Clinton Chapel served as a regular station on the underground railway, hiding many slaves in their escape to the north. Jason’s brother James Bull also served as the Mayor of Columbus in the late 1830s. The Underground Railroad in Columbus operated mostly on the east and north sides of town. Many Kentucky and Virginia families who had helped to settle Franklinton on the west side were believed to have Southern sympathies. Conductors on the railroad who helped to bring safe passage to runaway slaves operated downtown with the help of John Ward. He worked with the Bull family, bringing people hidden in wagons up High Street or out Cleveland Avenue. He then zigzagged west to come through the Walhalla Ravine, ending at the back of the Clinton Chapel to smuggle people into the building under cover of night.
The building’s purpose changed in 1882 when Mathias Armbruster purchased the Chapel and converted it into a private residence. A theatre set designer, Armbruster named the area’s streets using character names from operas and other theatre productions. As a private residence during the prohibition era, visitors with the proper credentials could enter and gain access to a plush speak-easy.
From 1938-2017, 3100 North High was home of Southwick, Good, Fortkamp Funeral Home. It is now Balanced Family Academy, a daycare center and preschool.

Location

3100 N High St, Columbus, Ohio, 43202
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