Harriet Beecher Stowe, born on June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, Conneticut, was an author and abolitionist. Throughout her life, she wrote poems, biographical sketches, children’s books, travel books, and even adult novels. Stowe’s most famous work, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” is one of the most prominent abolitionists works, with Stowe basing her portrayal of the underground railroad on her experiences in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she observed slaves seeking asylum from across the Ohio River in Kentucky. Stowe is considered by some to be an early realist, with an emphasis on communicating the complexities of the political climate she lived in. Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln as a result of her success with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” urban legend claiming his initial statement to her included the phrase, “so you’re the little lady who started this great war!” Stowe died on July 1, 1896 in Hartford, Connecticut. Harriet Beecher Stowe was made a Great Ohioan in 2008.