Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad. . The Underground Railroad was not the railroad that exists today in Downers Grove. Instead it was an informal and secret network of meeting points, transportation routes and safe houses coordinated by a group of people called abolitionists, who were against slavery and helped slaves escape to free states and Canada. It was in existence throughout the early 1800s, but reached its peak in the 1840s-1850s. The State of Illinois was considered a free state and Chicago was a major gateway to freedom in the north; however, slavery was still practiced in the southern part of the state. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required people to help with the capture and return of runaway slaves, making the act of hiding and helping slaves in the Underground Railroad illegal and dangerous. Abolitionists could be heavily fined and given jail time if found hiding runaway slaves. They were careful to keep their involvement secret, thus it is often difficult to know the people and places within the Underground Railroad. , , The Blodgetts were reportedly active in the Underground Railroad in their native Massachusetts and continued their activities when they moved to Illinois. Runaway slaves are likely to have hidden in the 1846 house or on the surrounding Blodgett property and outbuildings.