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Abolition & Underground RR Topic

 
By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 1, 2018
The Rest Marker
101 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, North Cleveland Park — The Rest — Tenleytown, DC — Country Village to City Neighborhood —
Designated a D.C. Landmark in 1960, the Rest (pictured here) is Tenleytown's oldest residence (built around 1800) and is located at the corner of Windom Place and 39th Street. Local legend maintains that the bricks for the house were brought over . . . — — Map (db m112187) HM
102 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Old Soldiers Home — President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home — A National Trust Historic Site —
President Lincoln and his family lived in this country home for over a quarter of his presidency. Escorted by his cavalry guard, Lincoln rode to the White House every morning either on horseback or by carriage, and returned here each evening to . . . — — Map (db m52838) HM
103 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — e.2 — Ending Slavery in Washington — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —
To your right at the end of Indiana Avenue is Washington's first City Hall/Courthouse. Across Sixth Street is the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse, a successor to the original courthouse. The Old City Hall/Courthouse opened in 1822, with . . . — — Map (db m56124) HM
104 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — Frederick Douglass 1817 - 1895 — The Extra Mile — Points of Light Volunteer Pathway —
A Famed orator and writer Frederick Douglass was also a key architect of the movement that ended slavery, the very institution into which he was born. Even after his goal to abolish slavery was achieved, Douglass persisted in his struggle for . . . — — Map (db m92084) HM
105 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — Harriet Tubman circa 1820 - 1913 — The Extra Mile — Points of Light Volunteer Pathway —
Harriet Tubman escaped a life of slavery only to return south, at her own peril, time and again, to lead more than 300 fugitive slaves through the Underground Railroad to safety and freedom. After the Civil War, Tubman raised money to clothe and . . . — — Map (db m91877) HM
106 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — 5850-2019 — Julia Ward Howe — 1819 - 1910 —
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was a poet, author, composer, abolitionist, suffragist and more—but she is most remembered for writing the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic. According to the story, she and her husband were asleep at the . . . — — Map (db m141266) HM
107 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .4 — The Roots of Freedom and Equality — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed
“It is known to you that events have transpired within the last few days, deeply affecting the peace and character of our community.”
With these words, city officials tried to calm the angry mobs gathering on . . . — — Map (db m25271) HM
108 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .4 — The Roots of Freedom and Equality — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —
"It is known to you that events have transpired within the last few days, deeply affecting the peace and character of our community."
With these words, city officials tried to calm the angry mob gathering on this . . . — — Map (db m188685) HM
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109 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, The National Mall — Live Oaks: A Gathering Place —
Welcome to the Reading Grove This space provides a place to meet, rest, read, and reflect. Live oaks have long harbored gatherings, from religious services and classes to community celebrations. Witness Trees Trees that were . . . — — Map (db m143315) HM
110 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, The National Mall — Live Oaks: A Symbol of Strength —
Building the Nation The use of live oaks played a critical role in helping the nation grow from a colony to what it became—the United States of America. Ships were an essential means of transportation for moving people and products, and . . . — — Map (db m143312) HM
111 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, U Street Corridor — Mary Ann Shadd Cary House —
Mary Ann Shadd Cary House Has been designated a National Historic Landmark This site possesses national significance In commemorating the history of the United States of America. An African American renaissance woman, . . . — — Map (db m182687) HM
112 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, U Street Corridor — Mary Ann Shadd Cary Residence — 1421 W Street, NW — African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —
When the lists of African American “firsts” are read, Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s name is everywhere. Born in Delaware to a free Black abolitionist family, Cary (1823-1893) moved to Canada in 1850 and ran a racially integrated school. Her anti-slavery . . . — — Map (db m61813) HM
113 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, U Street Corridor — 8 — Strivers' Section — Dupont Circle — Diverse Visions | One Neighborhood —
Police Call Boxes such as this one (originally painted blue) were installed in the District after the Civil War. Officers on foot patrol used this secure telegraph system to contact the station, accessing the box with a now highly collectible . . . — — Map (db m129486) HM
114 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, West End — Thaddeus Stevens — 1792-1868 — Thaddeus Stevens School —
“… a humble tribute of grateful remembrance to the late Thaddeus Stevens … the earnest champion of free and equal school privileges for all classes and conditions…” —the Board of Trustees of Colored Schools of Washington and Georgetown in honor . . . — — Map (db m282012) HM
115 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Anacostia — ADACI —
The African Diaspora Ancestral Commemoration Institute (ADACI) is a Washington D.C. nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1992, which institutionalizes the commemoration of the millions of African ancestors who perished during the Middle Passage — the . . . — — Map (db m294008) HM
116 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Anacostia — Frederick Douglass National Historic Site —
Also known as Cedar Hill, this site encompasses the estate owned by Frederick Douglass from 1877 until his death in 1895. In honor of Douglass’ work as an author, orator, abolitionist, statesman, and civil rights leader, this site is designated a . . . — — Map (db m40846) HM
117 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Anacostia — 18 — The Sage of Anacostia — An East-of-the River View — Anacostia Heritage Trail —
This imposing property once belonged to Anacostia’s most famous resident: Frederick Douglass. After escaping slavery as a young man, Douglass rose to become a distinguished abolitionist, writer, publisher, and orator. By the 1860s Douglass . . . — — Map (db m88723) HM
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118 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Anacostia Park — A River of Renewal — Anacostia Park — National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge stands as a tribute to Anacostia's most famous resident, abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass often traveled along the Anacostia's banks on his way to work as publisher of the newspaper New National . . . — — Map (db m297964) HM
119 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Anacostia Park — Hillsdale & Frederick Douglass —
The "Freedmen's Bureau" acquired 375 acres of land that was originally a tobacco plantation from the Barry Family in the late 1800's. In 1867, the land was named Hillsdale by African Americans who came to Washington in great numbers before and . . . — — Map (db m141635) HM
120 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Barney Circle — Ann G. Sprigg —
Ann G. Sprigg ran a boarding house, where Abraham Lincoln lived during his time as a U.S. Representative from Illinois (March 4th 1847 to March 3rd, 1849), at the present-day site of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building. The Sprigg . . . — — Map (db m211910) HM
121 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Barney Circle — Anna Murray-Douglass —
For Anna & Frederick Douglass, their work, home, & life centered on abolition, & fair treatment & respect for African Americans. Anna met Frederick, an enslaved 17-year-old in 1838. They fell in love; she encouraged, & financed his flight . . . — — Map (db m211913) HM
122 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Barney Circle — John Smilie — Congressional Cemetery —
Patriot John Smilie (1741-1812) joined the militia when the Revolutionary War began, leaving his Pennsylvania farm in the care of his wife. He was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 1784. A vocal abolitionist, Smilie was instrumental . . . — — Map (db m141886) HM
123 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Barney Circle — Lucy Bell —
For close to 100 years, Lucy Bell struggled to keep her family safe, free, and united. Born a slave on a Prince George's County plantation before the Revolutionary War, Bell learned at a young age the stark reality of being someone else's . . . — — Map (db m266036) HM
124 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Barney Circle — National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom —
Historic Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place of four significant contributors to the Underground Railroad. William Boyd • John Dean • David A. Hall • Hannibal Hamlin — — Map (db m141883) HM
125 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Douglass — Activist Grove (1833-1845) — Douglass Community Center — Reported unreadable
Three years after he escaped enslavement, Douglass gave a brief speech at an anti-slavery meeting in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This lecture would be the beginning of a repertoire of speeches that built Frederick Douglass's reputation as one of the . . . — — Map (db m129792) HM
126 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Douglass — Escape Allée (1838) — Douglass Community Center —
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey fled enslavement in Maryland on September 3, 1838. His escape route included travel by train, ferry, and steamboat through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. Each tree in Escape Allée represents . . . — — Map (db m129785) HM
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127 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Douglass — Freedom Grove (1838) — Douglass Community Center —
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey arrived in New York with the aid of a free woman named Anna Murray. She followed him to New York, and eleven days after his arrival, they married. The couple continued to settle in New Bedford, Massachusetts, . . . — — Map (db m129790) HM
128 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southeast Washington, Douglass — Memorial Grove (1841-1895) — Douglass Community Center —
From his 1841 speech at a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society convention, until 1895 when he died suddenly at his Cedar Hill home in Washington, D.C., Frederick Douglass championed human rights. This memorial grove of scarlet oaks represent the . . . — — Map (db m129791) HM
129 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southwest Washington, Southwest Federal Center — The Slave Trade in Washington, DC —
"…in view from the windows of the Capitol, a sort of negro-livery stable, where droves of negroes were collected, temporarily kept, and finally taken to Southern markets …had been openly maintained for fifty years." Abraham . . . — — Map (db m129921) HM
130 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southwest Washington, Southwest Waterfront — 10 — Escape from Slavery — River Farms to Urban Towers — Southwest Heritage Trail — Reported missing
Before the Civil War, Washington was a slave-holding city. But many of its citizens–especially free blacks and abolitionists–assisted freedom seekers at locations known as stops on the Underground Railroad. The largest . . . — — Map (db m112455) HM
131 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southwest Washington, Southwest Waterfront — The Pearl —
In 1848, in the largest recorded escape attempt by slaves in US history, 77 men, women, and children attempted to flee on the 65-foot schooner Pearl, but were recaptured due to opposing winds. — — Map (db m112420) HM
132 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Southwest Washington, Southwest Waterfront — Underground Railroad and Waterway —
In April 1848, the largest slave escape attempt on record in the Unites States took place at the Southwest Waterfront. Seventy-seven men, women, and children boarded the schooner Pearl to sail to freedom, but were ultimately recaptured. The . . . — — Map (db m110136) HM
133 ► Florida, Alachua County, Micanopy — F-860 — Moses Elias Levy —
Moses Elias Levy (1782-1854), a Moroccan born Jewish merchant, came to Florida after its cession from Spain to the United States in 1821. Before his arrival, Levy acquired over 50,000 acres in East Florida. In 1822, Levy began development on . . . — — Map (db m93854) HM
134 ► Florida, Leon County, Tallahassee, Frenchtown — Historic Frenchtown — Tallahassee / EST. 1824 —
Folklore linked Frenchtown to settlers who emigrated to the Lafayette Land Grant and later moved to town. Census and property records contradict this story. Researcher Julianne Hare advances two other possibilities. When the area was first platted . . . — — Map (db m229577) HM
135 ► Florida, Manatee County, Bradenton — Memorial Trail — De Soto National Memorial —
Welcome! This short, accessible loop trail takes you around Shaw's Point. It passes through mangrove wetland and visits a unique upland pine/hardwood hammock. At several points you can visit the sandy shoreline for views of Tampa Bay.

— — Map (db m295083) HM
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136 ► Florida, Manatee County, Palma Sola — Back to Angola — De Soto National Memorial —
Each year, descendants of formerly-enslaved people return to Tampa Bay to celebrate at the "Back to Angola" festival.

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, many African people escaped slavery in the United States and fled south. . . . — — Map (db m295016) HM
137 ► Florida, Miami-Dade County, Key Biscayne — Escaping to Freedom in the Bahamas —
In the early 1820's, enslaved Africans, runaways, and "Black Seminoles" seeking freedom from slave catchers and plantation masters, secretly worked their way down to CAPE FLORIDA. They met with bold captains of sloops from the British Bahamas who . . . — — Map (db m79723) HM
138 ► Florida, St. Johns County, St. Augustine — El Pueblo de Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose — Fort Mose Historic State Park —
On the shore of Robinson Creek, ¼ mile east of this marker, was the site of a Spanish mission for Indians left homeless during Queen Anne's War. Since 1688, Negro slaves from the English colonies had found refuge in Spanish St. Augustine. On . . . — — Map (db m126969) HM WM
139 ► Florida, St. Johns County, St. Augustine — Freedom Seekers — Fort Mose Historical State Park —
Stumbling over gnarled roots and through thick shrubs, you find a break in the dense vegetation. You are shocked to see several figures: Black women resting in the shade of the trees. Like you, they wear tattered clothing and look tired and sore . . . — — Map (db m289607) HM
140 ► Florida, St. Johns County, St. Augustine — The Last Slave Cabin — Accord Freedom Trail —
St. Augustine’s most famous garage building began its life long before the automobile age. The crack running down the east wall from top to bottom shows the original length of the structure, before it was enlarged in the 1920s for automobile and . . . — — Map (db m154602) HM
141 ► Georgia, Bartow County, Cartersville — Pathways to Freedom: A Story in Every Stitch —
Pathways to Freedom: A Story in Every Stitch, by sculptor, Przemyslaw Kordys, was commissioned by the African American Quilt Documentation Project of Bartow County and donated to the City of Cartersville in an unveiling ceremony on May . . . — — Map (db m273626) HM
142 ► Georgia, Catoosa County, Ringgold — Confederate General Patrick Cleburne's Emancipation Proposal — Presented to the High Command - Army of the Tennessee, January 2, 1864 —
“As between the loss of independence and the loss of slavery, we assume that every patriot will freely give up the latter -- give up the Negro slave rather than be a slave himself.”
So wrote Irish born . . . — — Map (db m66170) HM
143 ► Georgia, Chatham County, Tybee Island — 25-32 — History of Emancipation: — Gen. David Hunter and General Orders No. 7 —
On April 13, 1862, following the Union capture of Ft. Pulaski during the Civil War, Maj. Gen. David Hunter issued General Orders No. 7 freeing those enslaved at the fort and on Cockspur Island. Hunter, an abolitionist advocating the enlistment of . . . — — Map (db m280516) HM
144 ► Georgia, Effingham County, Rincon — The Incident at Ebenezer Creek — March to the Sea Heritage Trail —
As the army of Union Major General William T. Sherman marched to the sea in late 1864 many runway slaves followed. Each infantry core had a few hundred to several thousand slaves trailing behind. Federal soldiers were largely living off the land . . . — — Map (db m297590) HM
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145 ► Georgia, Muscogee County, Columbus — Freedom Day —
April 16, 1865, was Freedom Day for the enslaved people of Columbus who awoke that day as slaves and went to sleep that night free. That evening Union cavalry under Gen. James H. Wilson defeated the Confederate forces of Gen. Howell Cobb in a night . . . — — Map (db m297481) HM
146 ► Georgia, Richmond County, Augusta, Downtown Augusta — A Historical Timeline of Augusta —
1818 The Georgia Legislature adopts measures that restrict African American property ownership and that require free persons of color to register annually and pay a tax when moving into the state. The registry includes many residents of . . . — — Map (db m271413) HM
147 ► Georgia, Richmond County, Augusta, Downtown Augusta — A Historical Timeline of Augusta —
"I take my pen in hand to give you a sketch of the proceedings of the 1st day of January (The Freedmen's 4th of July) in the City of Augusta, we met a Springfield Church, it being the largest colored church in the city." -Robert Kent, . . . — — Map (db m271414) HM
148 ► Georgia, Wilkes County, Washington — Bishop James Osgood Andrew —
James Osgood Andrew was born in Wilkes County, Georgia, on May 5, 1794, about 400 yards N.E. of this marker, the son of Rev. John Andrew and Mary Cosby Andrew. He was licensed to preach in the Ellam Methodist Episcopal Church, Broad River Circuit, . . . — — Map (db m17257) HM
149 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Changing Slavery — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Lincoln: ". . . I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so. And I have no inclination to do so." Douglas: ". . . Mr. . . . — — Map (db m156831) HM
150 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Charley's Run —
On an August night in 1842, Dr. Richard Eells, an active Quincy Abolitionist in the 1830-40's, was transporting a runaway slave named Charley to a safer location when his carriage was stopped near this spot by a posse searching for Charley. . . . — — Map (db m156857) HM
151 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Douglas' Disciple — Looking for Lincoln — 1854 —
"I regard (Richardson) as one of the truest men that ever lived; he 'sticks to judge Douglas through thick and thin" (A. Lincoln, 1860). Douglas composed the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. William A. Richardson, another Quincyan and Douglas' . . . — — Map (db m58760) HM
152 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Dred Scott Decision — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Lincoln: We oppose the Dred Scott Decision, . . . because we think that it lays the foundation not merely of enlarging and spreading that evil [slavery] but that it lays the foundation of spreading that evil into the states themselves . . . . . . — — Map (db m156830) HM
153 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Lincoln's 1854 Visit — Looking for Lincoln —
On November 1, 1854 an incensed Lincoln attacked the immorality of slavery in a speech at Kendall Hall. Lincoln was awakened from a five-bear political slumber by Douglas's Kansas-Nebraska Act, attacking it in a series of speeches in . . . — — Map (db m149831) HM
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154 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Morality of Slavery — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Lincoln: ". . . reduced to its lowest element, slavery is no other than that between the man that thinks slavery is wrong and those who do not think it wrong. . . . We think it is a moral, a social, and a political wrong. . . . [Douglas] has, . . . — — Map (db m156822) HM
155 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Permanency of Slavery — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Douglas: "Let each state mind its own business, and let its neighbors alone - then there will be no trouble on this question. . . . If we will stand by that great principle, then Mr. Lincoln will find that this Republic can exist forever . . . — — Map (db m156824) HM
156 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Racial Equality — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Lincoln: ". . . there is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence . . . . I hold that . . . in the right to eat the bread . . . which his own hand earns he is . . . — — Map (db m156821) HM
157 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Search for Equality — Looking for Lincoln —
"Who shall say, I am the superior, and you are the inferior?" asked Lincoln in July 1858. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates focused on slavery. During the October 13th Quincy debate Lincoln affirmed: "...in the right to eat the bread . . . — — Map (db m58798) HM
158 ► Illinois, Adams County, Quincy — Spread of Slavery Into The Territories — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
Lincoln: "We also oppose [slavery] as an evil so far as it seeks to spread itself. We insist upon a policy that shall restrict it to its present limits. We do not suppose on doing this that we infringe upon the Constitution. . . . . . — — Map (db m156828) HM
159 ► Illinois, Alexander County, Thebes — Thebes Courthouse —
The courthouse, completed in 1848, was the county seat of Alexander County until 1864 when the county seat was moved to Cairo. The building was constructed with local sandstone, hewn timbers, hand sawed boards, plaster, and with a split . . . — — Map (db m303525) HM
160 ► Illinois, Bond County, Greenville — History of Greenville-Bond County —
Illinois Confederacy Indians roamed this prairie land, rich in game, which became Illinois County of Virginia. Ceded in 1784 to the United States it was successively included in the Northwest, Indiana; and in 1809, Illinois Territory. Formed in . . . — — Map (db m34169) HM
161 ► Illinois, Bureau County, Princeton — Owen G. Lovejoy Homestead — Underground Station —
This house was one of the most important stations in the Underground Railroad movement in Illinois. Runaway slaves were harbored by the Lovejoy family until arrangements could be made for them to travel to the next station on their way to Canada. — — Map (db m259404) HM
162 ► Illinois, Bureau County, Princeton — Owen Lovejoy — 1811 – 1864 —
Lovejoy Way is a tribute to Owen Lovejoy. Lovejoy came to Princeton in 1838 to minister at the Hampshire Colony Church. He spent 17 years here. When he arrived, he resided with the Butler Denham family, who lived on the east edge of town. When . . . — — Map (db m253166) HM
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163 ► Illinois, Bureau County, Princeton — Owen Lovejoy Home —
This two-story frame structure was the home of abolitionist Owen Lovejoy, who was born in Maine in 1811. Lovejoy moved into the house in 1838, when he became a Congregationalist minister. He was leader in the formation of the Republican Party in . . . — — Map (db m310285) HM
164 ► Illinois, Calhoun County, Brussels — Wittmond Hotel — 166 East Main Street — Brussels Historic District —
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m292653) HM
165 ► Illinois, Champaign County, Champaign — The First Congregational Church — Champaign Historic Site —
The First Congregational Church, built in 1855-56, was popularly known as the “Goose Pond” Church, because the site was once a water-filled area, home to flocks of wild geese and ducks. The church became a meeting center for numerous . . . — — Map (db m31118) HM
166 ► Illinois, Coles County, Charleston — The Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Charleston —
On September 18, 1858, Springfield attorney and former U.S. Congressman Abraham Lincoln debated U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas at the Coles County Fairgrounds during the senatorial campaign of that year. The Charleston debate was the fourth of . . . — — Map (db m184632) HM
167 ► Illinois, Coles County, Oakland — Home of Dr. Hiram Rutherford —
This was the home of Dr. Hiram Rutherford, who was involved in 1847 in a case in which Abraham Lincoln represented a slaveholder. Rutherford and Gideon Ashmore harbored a family of slaves who had sought their help. The slaves belonged to Robert . . . — — Map (db m30877) HM
168 ► Illinois, Coles County, Oakland — The Matson Slave Trial — Looking for Lincoln —
Top Section Dr. Hiram Rutherford was a key person involved in Abraham Lincoln’s famous slave case, the only instance in his career where Lincoln represented the rights of a slave owner. Robert Matson brought slaves from Kentucky to work his . . . — — Map (db m30867) HM
169 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Bronzeville — Stephen Douglas — United States Senator (1813-1861) — Chicago Tribute —
From 1847 until his death in 1861, Stephen Douglas was both a powerful U.S. senator and an influential Chicago resident. Douglas moved from Vermont to southern Illinois at age 20 to begin his career in law and politics, rising quickly among the . . . — — Map (db m235224) HM
170 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Douglas (Bronzeville) — Paul Laurence Dunbar — June 27, 1872-February 9, 1906 —
The son of freed slaves, Paul Laurence Dunbar published his first collection of poetry entitled "Oak and Ivy" in 1893. Early in his career, he edited a newspaper published by friend, Orville Wright, of aviation fame. Dunbar later befriended . . . — — Map (db m299640) HM
171 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Golden Gate — Activists in the Anti-Slavery Movement —
Although Illinois was established as a "free" state in 1818, federal laws that had been enacted since 1793 permitted the recapture and return of runaway enslaved people within U.S. territory. Beginning in the 1830s, freedom seekers were . . . — — Map (db m261062) HM
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172 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Golden Gate — Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad: Ton Farm Site —
From the 1830s until the Civil War, many enslaved African descendants in the South escaped to Chicago on their way to freedom in Canada. Black and white abolitionists in the region were part of the networks of assistance known as the Underground . . . — — Map (db m261050) HM
173 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Golden Gate — Pathways to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Chicago —
Prior to the Civil War, an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 African descendants traveled to the Chicago region to escape slavery in the South. Responding to their journeys, Black and White abolitionists in Chicago and across the region formed . . . — — Map (db m261052) HM
174 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Lower West Side — Miguel Hidalgo Y Costillá — (1753 - 1811) —
El Gobierno de Guanajuato entrega a Chicago esta estatua en memoria de The Government of Guanajuato presents Chicago this statue in memory of Miguel Hidalgo Y Costillá (1753 - 1811) Nació en Pénjamo, Guanajuato. . . . — — Map (db m255784) HM
175 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Old Irving Park — John and Phebe Gray —
John and Phebe Gray were distinguished by their generosity and social conscience. In 1857 they donated land to build a township hall at Milwaukee and Irving Park Road. In 1888, they donated land to build St. John's Episcopal Church one block north . . . — — Map (db m309130) HM
176 ► Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, Wrigleyville — Colonel Marcus M. Spiegel — December 8, 1829 ✡️ May 4, 1864 —
Jewish Abolitionist and Colonel of the 120th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Mortally wounded in Louisiana. — — Map (db m298989) WM
177 ► Illinois, Cook County, Des Plaines — Civil War, 1861-1865 —
In the four-way presidential election of 1860, Illinois voters overwhelmingly cast ballots for northern Unionist candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Southern states feared that President Lincoln would move to abolish slavery once he took . . . — — Map (db m268649) HM WM
178 ► Illinois, Cook County, Maywood — Ten Mile Freedom House — The Underground Railroad —
Many Black slaves fled from the antebellum south and gained their freedom by secretly traveling through the "Underground Railroad" route during the mid 1800's. A "Ten Mile Freedom House" providing shelter for the "Underground Railroad" travelers . . . — — Map (db m231844) HM
179 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove — Israel and Avis Blodgett —
Israel and Avis Blodgett moved to Downers Grove in 1836. Israel Porter Blodgett, Sr. operated a blacksmith shop, and is credited with developing the self-scouring plow used to turn the Illinois prairie. Israel & Avis Blodgett were against . . . — — Map (db m270857) HM
180 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove — Samuel Curtiss —
Born in Connecticut in 1789 Died in Downers Grove in 1867 Resident of Downers Grove since 1836 Samuel Curtiss was a volunteer in the War of 1812 and used his script to purchase land here. The Main Street Cemetery is located on part of his . . . — — Map (db m270479) HM
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181 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove — The Israel Blodgett House —
Built in 1846, this home of Israel and Avis Blodgett is believed to have been an active stop on the Underground Railroad with Israel as a Conductor. Having settled in Downers Grove in 1836, the family was very active in the Abolitionist Movement and . . . — — Map (db m301771) HM
182 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove — The Underground Railroad —
As early as the 1830's slaves made their way to freedom crossing through Illinois on their way north to Canada. They traveled on the Underground Railroad. Downers Grove historians Montrew Dunham and Pauline Wandschneider tell us "The Underground . . . — — Map (db m270475) HM
183 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove — 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 . . . — — Map (db m270856) HM
184 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Lombard — Sheldon Peck Homestead and Underground Railroad Site —
Built in 1839 and lived in by the Peck family until 1996, the Peck Homestead is significant locally, for the state of Illinois, and nationally as the home of Sheldon Peck, a radical abolitionist, keeper of a documented URR station and prolific . . . — — Map (db m255670) HM
185 ► Illinois, DuPage County, Wheaton, Wheaton College — Blanchard Hall — A stop on the Underground Railroad —
Before and during the Civil War, thousands of freedom seekers fled northward to escape bondage. Aided by abolitionists and other sympathetic allies, these men, women, and children often traveled by night on foot or by wagon, boat, or train. By day . . . — — Map (db m286023) HM
186 ► Illinois, Edwards County, Albion — Morris Birkbeck —
To Morris Birkbeck Who in 1817 with George Flower founded the English settlement in Edwards County This memorial is erected by the Department of Illinois Woman's Relief Corps Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic "In respect and gratitude . . . — — Map (db m154631) HM
187 ► Illinois, Fayette County, Vandalia — First Protest Against Slavery — 1837 —
At the beginning of Lincoln's second term as a state representative, several southern legislatures were concerned that the Federal Government would abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. Most of the members of the Illinois Legislature . . . — — Map (db m42490) HM
188 ► Illinois, Iroquois County, Loda, Loda Township — Israel Newton Stiles — Soldier and Anti~Slavery Orator —
Born: July 16th, 1833, Suffield, Connecticut Died: January 17th, 1895, Chicago, Illinois A lawyer and Indiana state legislator, he became a popular orator in the 1850s and gave more than sixty speeches against the evils of slavery. He . . . — — Map (db m303672) HM
189 ► Illinois, Jersey County, Grafton — Elijah Lovejoy — 1802-1837 —
An outspoken abolitionist, Lovejoy was owner and publisher of the Alton "Observer". His anti-slavery writings aroused dangerous animosity in the area. Three times his presses were destroyed by mobs, and replaced by the townspeople. The fourth time . . . — — Map (db m142763) HM
190 ► Illinois, Jersey County, Jerseyville — The Red House / Cheney Mansion —
You are standing in what once was known as Hickory Grove, a tiny settlement that included three log cabins and the Red House. The four-room Red House, built in 1827, was the first frame home in this area. In 1830, the Red House was converted . . . — — Map (db m142827) HM
191 ► Illinois, Kane County, Elgin — Mary Newsome Wheeler — 1860-1947 —
Mary Newsome Wheeler was only two years old when she and her mother, Minerva Newsome, boarded a boxcar in Mississippi and braved the nearly 600-mile train ride to Elgin as refugee slaves or "contraband." She attended the old Brook Street school . . . — — Map (db m299986) HM
192 ► Illinois, Kane County, Elgin — The Promise of Elgin —
Who are the people looking at you? The "Promise of Elgin" mural serves as a constant reflection of who we are and a reminder of where we hope to go. Do you see yourself reflected in the Elgin community? The "Making Space" project was . . . — — Map (db m299885) HM
193 ► Illinois, Kane County, West Dundee — Duff House —
This New England style farmhouse was built circa 1848, by Samuel Wilder to resemble his former New York State home. Robert and Lucy Duff purchased this property in 1868; however, historians claim they lived at this location during the Civil War . . . — — Map (db m94312) HM
194 ► Illinois, Kane County, West Dundee — Pinkerton’s Early Home —
Allan Pinkerton, famous detective, had his home and cooperage on this lot, 1844-1850. Here he sheltered and employed slaves escaping to freedom. After helping to capture some counterfeiters, he became deputy sheriff of Kane County in 1848. In 1850 . . . — — Map (db m55485) HM
195 ► Illinois, Kendall County, Oswego — American Civil War — (1861-1865) —
The American Civil War was a major war between the United States (the "Union") and eleven southern slave states that declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis. The Union, led by President . . . — — Map (db m272008) HM
196 ► Illinois, Kendall County, Yorkville — Bristol Churches and the Underground Railroad —
Before the abolition of slavery, a movement was established throughout the United States to help enslaved African Americans escape north into free states and Canada. Known as the "Underground Railroad," this network was comprised of communities, . . . — — Map (db m297045) HM
197 ► Illinois, Kendall County, Yorkville — Illinois' Northern Boundary —
The northern boundary of Illinois as prescribed in the Ordinance of 1787 was an East and West line from the Southern tip of Lake Michigan at approximately 41° 38', passing through this region to the Mississippi River. When Illinois applied for . . . — — Map (db m193168) HM
198 ► Illinois, Knox County, Galesburg — Beecher Chapel —
Site of Beecher Chapel, first brick church in Galesburg, built in 1858 and named after its first minister, Edward Beecher. Often used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Razed 1966. — — Map (db m230127) HM
199 ► Illinois, Knox County, Galesburg — Lincoln-Douglas Debate —
On October 7, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephan A. Douglas met in Galesburg for the fifth of seven joint debates. From a platform erected along the east side of Old Main on the Knox College campus, Lincoln said: "He is blowing out the moral lights . . . — — Map (db m307269) HM
200 ► Illinois, Knox County, Galesburg — The Fifth Debate — Looking for Lincoln —
[Left panel] Lincoln and Douglas debated here on October 7, 1858. Their joint meeting was one of seven across Illinois as they contested Stephen A. Douglas's seat in the Senate that summer and fall. Here in . . . — — Map (db m150565) HM

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Sep. 26, 2026