An annual festival in Adams County, Ohio that honors a Civil War hero, abolitionist, merchant and statesman gets underway Friday at the home of the man who died there in 1891. John T. Wilson’s homestead in Tranquility is the site of the Adams County Heritage Festival, which begins at 9 a.m. with visits by school children to the grounds along Kentucky 32.
Ralph Anderson and his wife have owned the Wilson homestead since 2006 and have converted it into a bed and breakfast. He says he was able to use state and federal tax credits to complete a major restoration of the buildings where Wilson lived and operated a grocery store…
Wilson supported the Underground Railroad and harbored escaped slaves on his property. He led his troops into the bloody battle at Shiloh in 1862. Wilson later served in Congress and his business ventures made him the richest man in Adams County at the time of his death. He willed over half a million dollars to charitable causes.