On Jordan's Banks: Emancipation and Its Aftermath in the Ohio River Valley

The story of the Ohio River and its settlements are an integral part of American history, particularly during the country's westward expansion. The vibrant African American communities along the Ohio's banks, however, have rarely been studied in depth. Blacks have lived in the Ohio River Valley since the late eighteenth century, and since the river divided the free labor North and the slave labor South, black communities faced unique challenges.

In On Jordan's Banks, Darrel E. Bigham examine...