CLYDE, Ohio —
On Juneteenth, a Sandusky County community honored an escaped slave who settled in Ohio.
Peter Pointz was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1817. He escaped to freedom in 1848 and moved to Sandusky in 1849.
Pointz moved around over the next decade but settled in Clyde in 1860, where he became a beloved member of the community.
"He was lovingly known as 'Uncle Peter,' according to some newspaper accounts," Gene Smith, curator of the Clyde Museum, said.
Smith said the Clyde Enterprise, a former newspaper in the area, reported that his funeral was largely attended by many people in the community. Pointz was buried at the McPherson Cemetery in Clyde.
Pointz had written an autobiography, detailing his journey to freedom. Smith read it, saying it was amazing.
"I thought this could be a Hollywood movie," Smith said.
Smith went to visit Pointz's grave, but he couldn't find it. Volunteers later found his name on a map of the cemetery, and it soon became clear why his grave could not be found. There was no headstone.
Smith decided to change this and raised funds to get the gravestone, which was unveiled during a ceremony recognizing Juneteenth on Wednesday.
The headstone has a photo of Pointz on it, with bootprints along a path to represent his journey to freedom.
On the back, there is a quote reading "The secret of happiness is Freedom. The secret of freedom is Courage."
All of the community's effort is to ensure his story is engraved into history forever.
"Anytime a person's grave is unmarked, it's sad," Smith said. "Because that person can be forgotten and nobody should be forgotten."
Pointz is buried at McPherson Cemetery with four other escaped slaves.
