The first meeting was held at the First Presbyterian Church on East Huron Street.
[1] The founding of the anti-slavery society was part of a movement to abolish slavery in several states during the 1830s, as well as support within the territory for the Underground Railroad.
[4] Guy Beckley and Theodore Foster, publishers of the Signal of Liberty, wrote: "Our neighbors accuse us of being 'worse than horse thieves,' because we have given to the colored man a helping hand in his perilous journey... We are also held up as transgressors of the law and having no regard for the civil authority.
"[4] (The Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 made it illegal to aid escapees.
[6] A historic marker is located on the site of the First Presbyterian Church in recognition in its role in founding the anti-slavery society and the newspapers.