© 2024 WYSO
Our Community. Our Nation. Our World.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Young House in Wilberforce Now National Monument

Public Domain

In 1974, the Col. Young House in Wilberforce, Ohio was named a national landmark. Today, March 25th, 2013, it received an even higher honor; The home now stands as a national monument. 

In a closed ceremony, President Barack Obama used executive authority to designate five new national monuments. Using powers given to him under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the President issued protections for 5 "historic or ecologically significant sites around the country" - including the Col. Charles Young House.  

Dr. Floyd Thomas is curator emeritus with the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Thomas says Young may have been born a slave but went on to graduate from West Point,  He was the first black man to 

Credit Public Domain
Col. Charles Young

reach the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army. In his 30-plus years in the military military, Young led the legendary Buffalo Soldiers.

Thomas calls Young "A Renaissance man" adding, "He was a barrier-buster, and he made it possible, through his incredible success, for others to follow in his footsteps. This monument will enable visitors from around the country and beyond to know about not only Charles Young," he said, "but the history of what the Buffalo Soldiers were all about and African-American military leadership."

In 1903, Col. Young became head of the National Park Service.  Later in life, he became a professor at Wilberforce University, founded in 1856.

Young's home is located on U.S. Route 42, between Wilberforce and Xenia. It is believed to have been a stop on the underground railroad. Xenia Mayor Marsha Bayless is pleased with the honor bestowed upon an historically significant landmark.

Bayless says "The citizens of Xenia [and] Wilberforce community are extremely pleased that, finally, a man of this caliber, who has done so many great things, is recognized." 

Both U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) are applauding the announcement. They jointly introduced legislation that would add the home to the National Park Register.  

The Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument will be managed by the Department of the Interior National Park Service. 

Other sites designated as National Monuments the sites are: Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico; First State National Monument in Delaware; Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland; and San Juan Islands National Monument in Washington state.

(Information from Ohio News Connection and The Associated Press was used in this story)

Jerry began volunteering at WYSO in 1991 and hosting Sunday night's Alpha Rhythms in 1992. He joined the YSO staff in 2007 as Morning Edition Host, then All Things Considered. He's hosted Sunday morning's WYSO Weekend since 2008 and produced several radio dramas and specials . In 2009 Jerry received the Best Feature award from Public Radio News Directors Inc., and was named the 2023 winner of the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Best Anchor/News Host award. His current, heart-felt projects include the occasional series Bulletin Board Diaries, which focuses on local, old-school advertisers and small business owners. He has also returned as the co-host Alpha Rhythms.
Related Content