The Ohio River Uprising of 1826 was a bold act of resistance by approximately 75 enslaved Africans being transported south by Edward Stone, a notorious slave trader, and his associates. On September 17, while traveling down the Ohio River, the captives rose up, killing Stone, his nephew, and three others before throwing their bodies overboard. They attempted to escape into Indiana, a free state, and while some were pursued, 19 were never recaptured, vanishing into history—possibly to freedom.
Edward Stone: A Slave Trader and His Underground Jail
Edward “Ned” Stone was a notorious slave trader based in Bourbon County, Kentucky, a region deeply entrenched in the domestic slave trade, the internal system of buying and selling enslaved Africans within the United States after the international slave trade was banned in 1808. Unlike many traders who sought discretion, Stone openly advertised the sale of his slaves and conducted his business with ruthless efficiency. His estate, known as The Grange, concealed a horrifying jail beneath its foundation where enslaved Africans were shackled and confined before their forced journey south.
Measuring 24 feet by 12 feet, Stone’s slave jail had thick masonry walls and an iron-barred window, it was a space of imprisonment and despair. According to reports, its entrance was a narrow iron door set two feet above the ground, leading into near-total darkness. Even with a lantern, one could barely make out the walls upon entering. It was within these walls that men, women, and children awaited their fate, bound for the Deep South where their lives would be further brutalized.
In September 1826, Stone and his nephew Howard Stone assembled a group of approximately 75 enslaved Africans—men, women, and children—many recently purchased from Maryland. They were marched from Bourbon County to Mason County, Kentucky, where they were loaded onto a flatboat set for the Mississippi River. Accompanied by additional white overseers, including David Cobb of Lexington, James Gray, and a man known as Davis, the journey was expected to be routine. But the captives had other plans.
The Revolt
Roughly 100 miles downriver from Louisville, the captives launched their attack. Details of how the revolt began are scarce, but it was a coordinated effort that quickly turned deadly. Five white men—Edward and Howard Stone, Cobb, Gray, and Davis—were killed, their bodies thrown overboard into the Ohio River.
One of the white men, who had been on deck at the time, attempted to escape by swimming to shore. However, he was pursued and killed by the rebelling captives. The enslaved then directed the boat toward the Indiana shore, seeking refuge in a state that had outlawed slavery in its constitution in 1816.
Indiana, despite its legal prohibition of slavery, was not a guaranteed sanctuary. It had recently passed a fugitive slave law in 1824, allowing for the capture and return of escaped enslaved people. Nonetheless, there were Underground Railroad stations along the Indiana border, offering a potential pathway to freedom. Some of the escapees may have planned to connect with these networks, to navigate their way north.
Unfortunately, their large numbers and lack of a white escort aroused suspicion. A local man took notice, became suspicious, and quickly gathered some of his acquaintances to pursue them.
Fifty-six of the enslaved individuals were captured and returned to Kentucky, where they were lodged in the Hardinsburg jail in Breckinridge County. Among those captured, five men—Jo, Duke, Resin, Stephen, and Wesley—were identified as ringleaders of the revolt. They were tried, convicted, and subsequently hanged for their roles in the uprising.
The remaining faced different fates. Forty-seven were sold, likely to new owners in the Deep South, while others were returned to Bourbon County. One enslaved person, a mixed race boy named Louis (or Lewis), was spared from sale.
Lewis had been Edward Stone’s body servant and was said to have tried to save Stone’s life during the revolt, only to be beaten and left for dead. Four months after the uprising, in January 1827, Edward Stone’s widow granted Lewis his freedom and gave him a small plot of land with a cabin. According to historian J.W. Coleman, Lewis remained in Kentucky, living on land near the Edward Stone estate in Bourbon County.
While the capture of the 56 enslaved individuals were widely reported, the fate of the 19 who were never recaptured remains a mystery. Historical records provide no details about their identities or where they went after the revolt. It is possible that some of them successfully made their way to freedom via the Underground Railroad, using the network of safe houses and secret routes that stretched across Indiana and into the North.
Although the Ohio River Uprising of 1826 has largely faded from history, the bravery of those who risked everything to carry out the rebellion and escape remains a lasting reminder of the incredible strength it took to fight against the brutal system of slavery.
Sources:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/maryland-gazette-horrible-massacre/159644332/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-western-citizen-the-citizen/159758740/
