Editing Yellow Springs, Ohio (section)

===Freed slaves===
The Conway Colony, a group of 30 freed slaves who were transported by [[Moncure D. Conway]], the abolitionist son of their former owner, were settled in this village in 1862.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ysnews.com/news/2010/02/a-history-of-racial-diversity |title=A history of racial diversity |author=Chiddister, Diane |date=February 4, 2010 |newspaper=[[Yellow Springs News]] |access-date=July 15, 2012}}</ref>

Wheeling Gaunt, a former slave who had purchased his own freedom, came to Yellow Springs in the 1860s. By his death in 1894, he owned a substantial amount of land.  Gaunt bequeathed to the village a large piece of land on its western side, requesting that the rent be used to buy flour for the "poor and worthy widows" of Yellow Springs.  Although the land was used to create Gaunt Park, and thus does not generate rent, the village expanded the bequest to include sugar. It still delivers flour and sugar to the village's widows at Christmas time, a tradition that generates annual media coverage.<ref name="YSNews">{{cite web |url=http://www.ysnews.com/stories/2003/december/121103_flour.html |title=Flour, sugar and tradition of caring  |access-date=September 26, 2006 |date=December 11, 2003 |newspaper=Yellow Springs News}}</ref>