Secrets Under the Parking Lot: The True Story of Upper Arlington, Ohio, and the History of Perry Township in the Nineteenth Century

by Diane Kelly Runyon, Kim Shoemaker Starr

Pleasant Litchford and his family were ex-slaves who settled in the Perry Township of Franklin County in 1832. There the family struggled alongside other pioneers to establish a home in the Ohio wilderness. Although Pleasant died a wealthy landowner, a millionaire in today's economy, his legacy and those of many other people of color have been buried.

Secrets under the Parking Lot explores the history of what is now Upper Arlington, Ohio, focusing on the truth found in original documents such as maps, land deeds, and records of lawsuits. It tells the interwoven story of many families in the area and how the township developed.

Early in the twentieth century, there was a social shift in the community that mirrored the national climate. Policies were put in place to exclude people of color from landownership in attempts to create all-white neighborhoods and communities. In 1955, the Litchford family graves were moved across town to Union Cemetery, where they now lie with no gravestones.

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1965 made these exclusionary policies illegal, their effects linger in society today. Honoring those who have come before means acknowledging the truth of history, even in the face of attempts to cover it up.

Genres: Nonfiction

159 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2019

Reviews

[Tmweddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I whole heartedly and thoroughly applaud the theme and story of this work, I could not finish it. I dislike the Socratic question and answer format. The writing reminded me of a middle school textbook. I especially lost interest when on page nineteen when describing early log cabins, it is written, "There was one room measuring about twelve to sixteen square feet with one door." I am sure what was meant was twelve to sixteen feet square, however there IS a big difference. A room with sixteen square feet would measure one four feet by four feet. As Spartan as early accommodations were, that would certainly not work. After that I could only wonder what other errors might be coming.

[Nigel Ewan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really interesting research here. Sloppy doesn't even begin to describe the book's writing, copy editing, and layout, though, which is really a shame!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research is exceptional, the narrative compelling. The title only refers to a very small portion of the book, however it is the portion that local residents are most curious about.

The work is historically significant. It lays out, in documented facts, the history of the settlement of Perry Township, in the county of Franklin, in what became the state of Ohio. Ohio was already a state when most of the narrative transpired. Today this area is Upper Arlington, Ohio. A predominately white community with a history of deed restrictions. 150 years ago, the fourth largest landowner was Pleasant Langford. Mr. Langford was a freed slave from Virginia who traveled to Ohio with his wife and four sons via The National Road, purchased land, farmed and raised horses as well as operating as a blacksmith, and set aside land for a "colored Cemetery" as well as land for a "colored school". He is thought to have been active in the Underground Railroad and was a lay-minister with the 2nd Baptist Church. The land later became the site of a public elementary school, high school, senior center, library and city park. People of color were not permitted burial in public cemeteries at this time. Mr. Langford had a family cemetery which he permitted other people of color to make use of for their family members. It is not known how many people were actually buried at this location. The plot could hold as many as 400 people. Twenty-seven sets of remains were uncovered and reburied in the mid-1950's. Modern technology will soon be employed to map the site which is on the current high school grounds.

The information is interesting. The publisher did a horrific job. There are numerous typesetting errors throughout the book. It is readable but the mistakes are quite off-putting.

It is my hope, and belief, that as the rest of the story unfolds the authors will revise and choose a publisher more familiar with historical treatises.

[Sundae · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "parking lot" in this book is at my high school in Upper Arlington, Ohio. I was really hoping to learn more about what happened *after* more bodies were exhumed during the demolition of the 1950's building and the new construction begun in 2017. I learned more from some c. 2020 newspaper articles than I did from this book.
Also, as many other have said, it's riddled with typos, repetition, and grammatical errors. I so want to edit it!
I give it 2.5 stars because I did learn quite a bit about the history of Perry Township, the area that became Upper Arlington.

[Ashley Mohler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ... not good. I was really excited to find it at a local bookstore, having heard the story come out about the remains found under Upper Arlington High School. As it turns out, the book only gets to the "Secrets Under the Parking Lot" in the last few pages. The vast majority of the book is a THOROUGH history of Franklin County and is early settlers.

I'm giving 2 stars only because of the amount of research that has clearly gone into the book. Despite this, it's as if no work at all went into editing or even proofreading before publication. The book is riddled with typos and sentences that are directly repeated throughout the book. The writing also randomly shifts to first person halfway through?

I think this book would be substantially better with some heavy editing, and it would be awesome if an update could be included at the end, in regard to the more recent discoveries.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible -- the amount of research done for this enlightening history! In 1832, Pleasant Litchford and his family were freed slaves and moved to the Columbus area to become a millionaire and property owner. New policies were established in 1915 which prohibited Blacks from owning land. Many graves were moved to unmarked areas. This book is filled with primary source materials and black and white photos to support the research. Kudos to the authors!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research and the information presented are well worth the time. Unfortunately, like other readers pointed out, the formatting and editing need work, and made it a challenge to read. Worth the work, in my opinion.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite meandering in its storytelling. It really needed professional editing. And some of the dates didn't line up correctly. It could have used many more maps to help illustrate the story. I did find the history interesting, yet the ending was almost anti-climactic. Only a small portion at the end of the book was about the parking lot situation. The book was primarily about the subtitle, which is the early history of Perry County. Being from Upper Arlington, and now residing in Worthington, I appreciated learning this history. I was shocked to learn about the covenants -- this was definitely not something in our awareness, growing up.

I am proud that Worthington values its pioneer history. It maintains the Orange Johnson House, a historical home from whose doorway High St. literally now is separated only by a sidewalk. Every year, the 3rd graders of Worthington experience "colonial days," where they study our pioneering history, and take a field trip to said house as well as to historic St. John's Church and adjoining graveyard, where, if memory serves me right, Ezra Griswold, James Kilbourne, and other Worthington founders are buried. These are practically household names in Worthington, and as I get older, I appreciate more and more that this history is taught and valued here.

As a chaperone on that field trip, I even learned about the origin of the saying, "Good night, sleep tight," as the mattress foundations were made of rope and had to be tightened each night. This is specifically mentioned in the book, and the Orange Johnson House still maintains just such a bed with the tightening key as depicted in the book. It really is fascinating to think of those early citizens, how much time has passed, and how everything has changed over the centuries.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valuable for local history. Feels unfinished now that the parking lot has been excavated. More visuals of grave stones and possible context with broader events. Would have liked more on the cases that brought this injustice/practice to light. Interviews with the current Depp ancestors, etc. How did the GI bill impact development after WWII. Redlining/loans. Where did workers for UA estates live, etc.

Certainly the writing was difficult to understand in some parts and would have benefitted from additional editing. Overall a good start for persons interested in starting research regarding local diversity and settlement.

[Jane Night]

I am not leaving a star rating because I was unable to finish this book.
I really enjoyed the first bit which covered early life in Ohio but then the book started going over biographies of important Ohioans and I just got bored.
I think I wanted something a little broader and that this author was perhaps too specific for my tastes. I do think this book has valuable information and if you are looking to use it as a reference book instead of a pleasure read you will probably find it quite valuable.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting bunch of facts that does not make a book. Very disjointed to read. The cemetary part is tacked on at the end. Definitely wanted to know more about Pleasant Litchford's descendants, and less about every day life in the Ohio wilderness, which reads like a grade school textbook! Would like to know more!! The UA Homeowner's Assn. also gets short shrift when that is a facsinating story in itself.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met this author while vacationing in AL Gulf Shores last year. She is a wonderful and immensely interesting person. I thoroughly enjoyed this non fiction book--especially because it relates the history of the exclusive area "across the river," from where I grew up. It is a short easy read, but well researched and documented. It is available from CML (before they closed due to Covid 19!).

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some information regarding a section of Perry township, but it does not cover the whole township as the subtitle suggests. The book was also sell published or published by an independent company. Columbus Landmarks books about the history of Columbus and surrounding areas offer better writing and research.

[Michael Donahoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy, interesting read. Really enjoyed reading about some of the history of this area of Ohio. I enjoyed reading about some of the places I know of and how they got their start. It is sad to read of the many injustices done and discrimination against the black population of that time frame. Even more disturbing is that the discrimination has not been completely done away with by now.

[Sue Vanwassenhove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent research with superb reference sources provided interesting information. The style and repetitive points were less enjoyable but I did appreciate learning and thinking about this family and their descendants.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel guilty marking this so low. It's obvious the amount of research these ladies have done is enormous. The book, however, reads like a first draft or field notes. I wish the authors had invested in a good editor or ghostwriter. There is so much potential here!

[Cathy Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book basically told you nothing about the cemetery under the parking lot. It is poorly written and there are numerous errors. Since we can see theses errors how do we know anything else is correct? I want to give it negative 5 stars.

[Tabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intensive background of Upper Arlington, Ohio. Well researched, but repetitive at times and the tone it was written in wasn't my favorite style. I wish this dove more into the racial tensions of Upper Arlington.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating research! While there are a lot of typos and grammatical errors, it does not stop the historical significance. Better editing could have been done- but I read it for the knowledge, not to be entertained.

[Joyce Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a lot about local history.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting historical facts, but I can't rate it any higher since it reads like it's written for a 2nd-3rd grade audience.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting info, but not well edited.

I read the paperback book, but I don't see that as an option on goodreads.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account of some of the "forgotten" history of the town where I used to work.  I'm amazed that I could have worked there for 25 years and not known about Pleasant Litchford.

[Mrs. Kearns · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was definitely excited to learn some local history but it was written in a very scattered way making it difficult to piece the important information of various lives together.

[Linda pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of best and saddest books i have read

Sad history of how people can minimize people get how beautiful that others will not forget how precious all people are

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information

[wildct2003 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2019 edition still has lots of typos.

Not very readable, mostly names and dates.

Scattered facts, no cohesive narrative. Not sure what the thrust of the book is supposed to be.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story but abysmal writing

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really important history to record for my town. This book is not very sophisticated in writing style but I did read it all in one sitting. I feel like I have more questions than answers now.

[Dan Ream · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic about the community where I attended high school, Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio . Sad that the land our school was built upon had been owned by free blacks in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but that by mid 20th century covenants prohibited blacks from buying homes in that same area. As other reviewers have noted here on Goodreads, this book needs professional editing to correct spelling and grammatical areas and cases of sentences being repeated .