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Helen Dehlia Gilmore for her longtime devotion to preserving the history of Rossville
and the story of the Randolph Slaves.
For decades, Helen Gilmore has been instrumental in preserving the history of Rossville, Ohio, and
the story of the Randolph Slaves who settled there in 1847. Freed according to provisions of the
will of John Randolph of Roanoke Plantation, Charlotte County, Virginia, the Randolph Slaves came
to Ohio where they settled in Miami County. Located on the Miami River, Rossville had a church,
school, graveyard, and many small homes. A direct descendant of the Randolph Slaves, Helen Gilmore
was born and raised in Rossville, and her great-grandfather, Isaac Ryal–one of the slaves that
Randolph freed–is buried in the Jackson Cemetery there. After her mother died, Helen was raised by
her grandmother. They lived in the home of Helen’s great-great uncle, York Ryal, another of the
former Randolph Slaves. In the early 1950s, Helen and her husband, Isaac, moved back to Rossville
from Dayton. At the time, township trustees planned to build a garage for salt trucks on the site
of the cemetery where many of the former Randolph Slaves were buried. The trustees told Helen that
if she could prove who was buried there, they would spare it. Helen found a map in her cousin’s
basement listing all of the burials. Since then, she has spent countless hours compiling
information about the history of Rossville and the story of the Randolph Slaves. She’s gathered
copies of all of the original deeds, along with pictures, family histories, and other early records.
Today, the Jackson Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Helen’s
childhood home, the York Ryal House, is the Rossville Museum and Cultural Center, where the story
of this remarkable community is preserved.
Click
here
to return to the list of 2007 Ohio Historic Preservation Office Award recipients.
Click
here
for a list of past Ohio Historic Preservation Office Award recipients.
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