Concerts to benefit New Albany's historic Town Clock Church

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - Two gospel concerts in southern Indiana will raise money for restoring a historic church's clock tower that was once a sign of freedom to fugitive slaves.

The concerts benefiting New Albany's Town Clock Church will be held Wednesday at New Albany High School's auditorium and Thursday at the 19th century church in the Ohio River community.

Both concerts will raise money for restoring the church's 150-foot-tall clock tower.

The News and Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1kjnKxG ) the tower was a prominent landmark for slaves who sought refuge at the church after fleeing north across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, through the Underground Railroad.

The church dating to 1849 was built by an abolitionist Presbyterian congregation and is now used by the Second Baptist Church, which has a predominantly black membership.

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com