Rhoda of the Underground

In Short

Florence Finch Kelly’s 1909 historical novel Rhoda of the Underground captures the deep ideological and romantic rifts of 1850s America. Set in an Ohio river town, the story follows Rhoda Ware, the high-spirited daughter of an abolitionist doctor, who falls in love with Jefferson Delavan, a wealthy Kentucky plantation owner. As political tensions escalate over the Fugitive Slave Law, Rhoda defies both her lover and the federal government to aid escaping slaves. The novel remains a compelling period drama that weaves romantic melodrama with the gritty, illegal realities of the anti-slavery movement.

The Story

The story opens in May 1856 in a quiet Ohio river town. Rhoda Ware, a vibrant young woman with dark brown hair and a sharp wit, enjoys a peaceful life with her father, Dr. Amos Ware, her mother, and her sister Charlotte. Rhoda attracts two very different suitors: Horace Hardaker, a earnest local Republican lawyer, and Jefferson "Jeff" Delavan, a wealthy, charismatic slaveholder from Kentucky whom Rhoda has known since childhood. Though drawn to Jeff's charm and tender affection, Rhoda hesitates to give him her answer.

Dr. Ware gradually introduces Rhoda to his secret abolitionist work, and she quickly commits herself to the cause. When Jeff attempts to recapture a runaway slave on Ohio soil, Rhoda tricks his search party, helping the fugitive escape. The incident brings a painful clarity to her heart: despite her love for Jeff, she resolves that she can never marry a man who owns human beings as property. When she confronts him with her decision, Jeff defends the Southern slaveholding lifestyle as a refined, ideal civilization comparable to ancient Greece. Unable to bridge their moral divide, they part ways.

Rhoda throws her energy entirely into the Underground Railroad. Alongside colorful operators like Chad Wallace—a clever peddler who hides fleeing slaves inside his customized wagon—Rhoda aids fugitives, including a mother with young children and a woman named Mary Ellen who passes as white. Her home becomes a known sanctuary, equipped with secret hiding spaces in the woodshed and cellar.

Meanwhile, Jeff turns his romantic attentions to Rhoda's lighter-hearted sister, Charlotte. The news of their eventual marriage brings Rhoda a sharp pang of grief, yet she remains steadfast in her abolitionist convictions. When federal authorities intensify their crackdown under the Fugitive Slave Law, Marshal Hanscomb discovers Rhoda’s operations. Arrested for harboring fugitives, Rhoda refuses to flee or plead for leniency. During her trial, Horace Hardaker defends her by appealing to public morality against an unjust law. Rhoda is convicted and sent to jail. A pro-slavery mob breaks into the jail to cause chaos, but Rhoda courageously refuses to leave, insisting on serving out her sentence to honor her principles.

Years pass as the country hurtles toward war. Horace eventually moves on and marries Rhoda's close friend, Marcia Kimball. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Jeff returns to bid Rhoda farewell before joining the Confederate army. Meeting in the garden, Jeff reveals he still loves her and carries a withered rose she once gave him. Rhoda urges him to fight to the uttermost so that his eyes may finally be opened to the evils of slavery. As Jeff departs for the battlefield, Rhoda listens to the distant sound of marching troops, foreseeing the immense bloodshed ahead but holding fast to a vision of eventual peace and freedom.

How It Unfolds

A romantic dilemma Rhoda Ware enjoys the quiet life of her Ohio home while weighing her feelings for Jefferson Delavan, a charming Kentucky planter. Though she feels a deep romantic pull toward Jeff, her father introduces her to anti-slavery literature and the harsh realities of the institution.

The line is drawn During a slave hunt in her town, Rhoda outwits Jeff and the federal marshals to help a fugitive escape into the woods. Realizing she cannot compromise her morals to marry a slaveholder, she rejects Jeff's proposal despite her aching heart.

Underground operations Rhoda actively joins the Underground Railroad, organizing local anti-slavery societies and assisting conductors like the eccentric peddler Chad Wallace. She hides runaways in secret compartments around her family's house and helps light-skinned fugitives pass to freedom.

Heartbreak and conviction Jeff shifts his affections to Rhoda's sister Charlotte, and the two eventually marry with the blessings of Rhoda's mother. Though hurt by the news, Rhoda channels her grief into political action following the Dred Scott decision.

Arrest and imprisonment Federal marshals discover hidden rooms in the Ware home, leading to Rhoda's arrest for violating the Fugitive Slave Law. She faces trial bravely and refuses to escape when a riot breaks out at the jail, choosing to serve her sentence as a public witness against slavery.

The final farewell After her release, the Civil War erupts, and Horace Hardaker marries Rhoda's friend Marcia. Jeff visits Rhoda one last time before joining the Southern army, and she sends him off with a prayer that the coming conflict will open his eyes to the truth.

The People

• Rhoda Ware: A high-spirited, courageous young woman who grows from a lighthearted girl into a devoted abolitionist. She wants to live according to her moral conscience, which forces her to choose between her deep romantic love for Jeff Delavan and her moral outrage against slavery.
• Jefferson "Jeff" Delavan: A wealthy, cultured Kentucky plantation owner who genuinely loves Rhoda. He wants to preserve the aristocratic Southern way of life and believes slavery is a divine, civilizing institution, which puts him in direct conflict with Rhoda.
• Dr. Amos M. Ware: Rhoda's reserved, intellectual father. He wants to dismantle the institution of slavery and carefully guides Rhoda into the Underground Railroad, becoming her intellectual mentor and partner in secret operations.
• Horace Hardaker: A dedicated young Republican lawyer who loves Rhoda and defends anti-slavery causes. He repeatedly proposes to her, but eventually moves on to marry Marcia Kimball while remaining a steadfast friend and ally.
• Charlotte Ware: Rhoda's flirtatious sister who seeks comfort and attention. She accepts Jeff Delavan's courtship after Rhoda rejects him, eventually marrying him and moving to his Kentucky estate.

In Its Own Voice

“The house, uncompromisingly white and square and solid-looking, with green shutters at the windows, had a wide, columned veranda across the southward front and down the eastern side.”

A description of the Ware family home on the sloping hills of an Ohio river town.

“In this beautiful Southland, we are working out what will prove to be the crowning glory of civilization.”

From a letter written by Jefferson Delavan, defending the Southern plantation system as a modern ideal.

“This is where your law has sent me and while I am in its power I want no place of safety. Marshal, take me in!”

Rhoda's resolute declaration to federal officers when offered a chance to escape her imprisonment.

What It's Really About

Rhoda of the Underground explores the profound moral divide that fractured American society prior to the Civil War. Beyond its romantic plot, the novel argues that personal affection cannot—and should not—override fundamental human rights. Kelly contrasts the Southern romanticization of slavery as a noble, classical civilization against the brutal reality experienced by fleeing captives. The book examines the concept of civil disobedience, demonstrating how law-abiding citizens were driven to break federal statutes like the Fugitive Slave Law out of allegiance to a higher moral authority. Ultimately, it portrays the Civil War as an inevitable, tragic atonement required to cleanse the nation of systemic injustice.

Why Read It Today

Rhoda of the Underground appeals to readers who enjoy mid-nineteenth-century historical drama, early twentieth-century popular fiction, and stories centered on the Underground Railroad. The narrative moves at an engaging pace, blending domestic melodrama with high-stakes covert operations and courtroom suspense. Reading the novel today offers a fascinating glimpse into how post-Reconstruction literature framed the antebellum ideological debate, contrasting Northern moral idealism with Southern aristocratic rhetoric.

Modern readers should be aware of period-specific elements, including late-Victorian sentimental prose and romanticized depictions of political arguments. The text reflects the cultural attitudes and racial language of its 1909 publication era, particularly in how white northern allies and fugitive slaves interact. Despite these historical markers, the book remains a powerful story of personal sacrifice and ethical conviction, leaving the reader with a vivid sense of the intense emotional and political turmoil that defined pre-Civil War America.