Nebraska City in Otoe County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Mayhew Cabin and the Underground Railroad

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2021

1. Mayhew Cabin and the Underground Railroad Marker

Inscription. Allen and Barbara (Kagy) Mayhew moved to Nebraska in 1854 and built this cabin in 1855. The Mayhews had two sons when they first moved to Nebraska and had four more children while here. Barbara’s younger brother, John Henri Kagi (he preferred the Swiss spelling of the name) lived with the family in the winter of 1855-56. Kagi then went to Kansas to promote the anti-slavery cause, and eventually met the famed abolitionist John Brown.

John Kagi started to help freedom seekers (escaping slaves) who were heading north through Nebraska using his sister’s place as a stopping point. The Underground Railroad route traveled along the Jim Lane Trail, which abolitionists used to journey into Kansas, bypassing the slave state of Missouri. Several other locations in southeast Nebraska took part in the Underground Railroad. Towns like Falls City and Nemaha contained many people who were opposed to slavery and who assisted freedom seekers. Once escaping slaves reached Nebraska City, they crossed the Missouri River into the free state of Iowa en route to Civil Bend and Tabor, Iowa. This exhibit panel was made possible by a grant from the Wirth Family Foundation.

Topics.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.

Location. 40° 40.397′ N, 95° 52.202′ W. Marker is in Nebraska City, Nebraska, in Otoe County. It is on 4th Corso (Nebraska Route 2) west of South 19th Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located directly in front of the Mayhew Cabin. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2012 4th Corso, Nebraska City NE 68410, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mayhew Cabin, 1855 (a few steps from this marker); Nebraska City (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); This "ELI" Windmill (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Kregel Windmill Factory

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 3, 2021

2. Mayhew Cabin and the Underground Railroad Marker

(marker is located directly in front of the cabin)

(approx. 0.4 miles away); Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting (approx. half a mile away); Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Dept. (approx. half a mile away); To Commemorate Russell, Majors & Waddell (approx. 0.6 miles away); Alexander Majors Residence (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nebraska City.

Another marker is no longer nearby. This ELI Windmill (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Mayhew Cabin

Also see . . . John Henri Kagi. The Kagy families’ views on slavery and John’s newly-formed association with John Brown is likely the reason that his sister’s cabin was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Mayhews were never punished by authorities for helping the slaves, but Kagy was nearly arrested while visiting his sister in the winter of 1859 during his last trip through Nebraska City with fugitive slaves. Exactly how many slaves passed through the Mayhew’s homestead is unknown. (Submitted on July 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: John Kagi image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Kansas State Historical Society

3. Marker detail: John Kagi

Marker detail: John Brown’s Route<br>Kansas, Nebraska Territory and Iowa image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: John Brown’s Route
Kansas, Nebraska Territory and Iowa

The Underground Railway from Slavery to Freedom(reprint from Wilbur Siebert’s Underground Railroad map, 1898.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 556 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.