The Town Clock Church (Second Baptist Church) in New Albany, Indiana stands as a powerful symbol of courage, resistance, and hope in Indiana’s Underground Railroad history. Once a refuge for freedom seekers, this historic church and its gardens tell the stories of those who risked everything to escape slavery—and the people who helped them.
I took a tour of the Town Clock Church to hear its complete, inspiring story—and if you ever get the opportunity to take one of their quarterly tours, I highly recommend it.

This church was initially built as a Presbyterian church before being purchased by Second Baptist Church in 1889. The Presbyterian congregation was uniquely integrated for its time, including both white members and free Black residents from New Albany and Floyd County. Levi Coffin, famously known as the “president of the Underground Railroad,” even visited here, seeking funds to support his mission of helping enslaved people escape to freedom.
Though Indiana was a free state, Louisville, just across the Ohio River, was not. The bustling riverfront, where workers unloaded and reloaded boats navigating the Falls of the Ohio, was a mix of enslaved and free individuals.
Over time, the church gained a quiet reputation as a safe haven for those seeking freedom—if they could make it there. The congregation saw the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 as profoundly unjust and immoral—and they deliberately chose to defy it.
James Brooks, a key church member, is believed to have provided free train tickets to escaping freedom seekers, helping them reach safety. Another crucial figure, James Hines, a conductor on the New Albany-Salem Railroad, reportedly refused to let bounty hunters board his trains in search of runaways.
Stairway to the Undercroft
There’s no documented proof that freedom seekers hid in the church’s undercroft, but generations of oral history suggest it’s likely—and if they did, this stairway was probably their path to safety.
Inside the Undercroft
Our tour took us down into the undercroft, though not via the stairway. Instead, we entered through a small doorway at the back of the church.
Our guide reminded us that while there’s no solid proof that enslaved people hid in the church’s undercroft, oral histories strongly suggest they did.
One fascinating detail is a tunnel from Main Street to the old DePaul Hotel. The tunnels were originally built for utility purposes, like gas piping, not as escape routes. However, the hotel—though not officially a Civil War hospital—seems to have served as a refuge for sick and injured Black soldiers. This adds weight to stories of doctors using the tunnel to reach the church and tend to wounded freedom seekers.
Underground Railroad Gardens
The public gardens pay tribute to Lucy Higgs Nichols with a sculpture and historical marker. A formerly enslaved woman from Tennessee, Lucy escaped with her young daughter, Mona, and found refuge with the 23rd Regiment of Indiana during the Civil War, serving as a nurse. After the war, she settled in New Albany with returning veterans. Though denied a pension under the 1892 act for Civil War nurses, she and 55 veterans of the 23rd petitioned Congress. In 1898, a special act granted her a $12 monthly pension in recognition of her service.
For more Underground Railroad history in the area, visit the Floyd County Carnegie Library Cultural Arts Center in New Albany. Their permanent exhibits “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: Men and Women of the Underground Railroad” and “Remembered: The Life of Lucy Higgs Nichols” offer a powerful look at the people who risked everything for freedom. I found them incredibly well done and deeply moving.
Another striking piece in the garden is Winged Man, a sculpture by Barney Bright. It portrays a sorrowful figure whose arms transform into wings, symbolizing an enslaved person standing on the auction block.
The garden’s gazebo is topped with the 1915 cupola, built after lightning destroyed the church’s original spire. When the spire was later reconstructed, the cupola and one of the original clock faces were moved here, preserving a piece of the Underground Railroad Indiana church’s history.
Final Thoughts
Walking through the Town Clock Church and its gardens, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of its history. This place wasn’t just a church but a beacon of hope, defiance, and resilience. From the people who risked everything to seek freedom to those who secretly worked to help them, their legacy is deeply woven into this space. If you’re looking for underground railroad sites in Indiana, visiting this church is an experience you won’t forget.
Check the Friends of the Town Clock Church Facebook page for more tour info. (Quarterly public tours are in March, June, September and December. Group tours can also be arranged.)
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