The steering committee will meet at
the beginning of October to evaluate how well this year's event
went, and the results of the survey will be a valuable tool to help
in the evaluation process.The
organizers would greatly appreciate the survey being completed by
Friday, Sept. 20. To complete the survey, use the link below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
2013LincolnArtBalloonFestival
Lynn
Spellman discusses the Underground Railroad in Stark County
Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival organizers are
asking that people who took part in the 40th annual festival take a few
minutes to complete a survey. The feedback from the survey will be valuable
in planning future festivals.
The town of Toulon in Stark County had a history that the residents never
discussed when Lynn Spellman was growing up there. Spellman, a Lincoln
resident and retired Lincoln College professor, spoke about Toulon's past at
the August meeting of the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society.
Toulon's location on the Spoon River, 40 miles northwest of Peoria,
made it a convenient, major stop on the Underground Railroad before
and during the Civil War.
Spellman was at a loss to explain why this important piece of
Stark County history was never discussed during her childhood.
The area of Illinois where she grew up had a strong abolitionist
tradition. Knox College in Galesburg was founded in the early 19th
century as an abolitionist institution, just down the road from
Spellman's home in Toulon.
Currently, the college has a large library of Underground
Railroad information and is home of the Knox College Underground
Railroad Freedom Society. Spellman went through much of this
collection to create her presentation.
During the time the Underground Railroad existed, three important
hubs were in Illinois: Quincy, Galesburg and Princeton. Runaway
slaves would come up the Mississippi River from the south or cross
it from the slave-holding state of Missouri on their quest for
freedom. Initially they headed for the river city of Quincy. Then
they would be funneled by abolitionists through a web of routes to
Galesburg and then on to Princeton. The slaves' ultimate destination
was Chicago, with the hope of boarding a ship to cross into complete
freedom in Canada.
Being between Galesburg and Princeton, Stark County and Toulon
were essential stops along the Underground Railroad.
The runaway slaves traveled at night to protect themselves and
their rescuers in Illinois. Early in the 19th century, Illinois
adhered to the Fugitive Slave Act, which permitted bounty hunters to
track slaves and receive a reward for their capture and return to
slave owners in the south. Those aiding the slaves were subject to
severe financial penalties and jail time if caught.
Stark County had three clusters of homes that provided safe haven
for slaves traveling the Underground Railroad: West Jersey, Toulon
and Elmira. The web of routes along the Underground Railroad
provided many options for the slaves. If a member of an abolitionist
family was suffering from an illness or if the family was under
surveillance by authorities, the slaves would be shuttled along
another link in the web of routes through Stark County.
The Underground Railroad in Stark County was active from the late
1830s until after the Civil War.
Spellman related the story of the Rev. Samuel Wright in Stark
County. Wright came to Illinois from New Hampshire, first settling
in Canton and then moving to Stark County. He was a Presbyterian
minister but also worked with the Congregational Church, of which
Lynn Spellman was a member while growing up in Toulon.
Wright was a traveling preacher in Stark County, going to various
places to perform his religious duties at area congregations that
did not have a regular preacher. He also gave lectures on abolition,
abstinence and astronomy. As such, he met a lot of people in the
area and was able to facilitate the movements of the Underground
Railroad. When his house was under watch by the authorities, he was
able to signal his cohorts in the movement to use another route
through Stark County for moving their precious cargo.
A little-known fact is that during the period before Illinois
banned slavery within its borders, there were slave owners in the
state, mostly in southern Illinois. Sometimes slaves there would
escape and travel north toward Chicago, passing through Stark
County.
Spellman related one story of a southern Illinois abolitionist
who took a slave and her children north to Galesburg from southern
Illinois to place them on the route of the Underground Railroad. The
slave owner found out about this and pursued the runaways. He was
able to capture the children and take them back to servitude in
southern Illinois.
He then sued the abolitionist and won the case, a decision that
reduced the abolitionist and his family to poverty because of the
size of the financial judgment against them.
Participation in the Underground Railroad was a dangerous
business for runaway salves and the abolitionists who helped them
flee.
By the late 1840s, runaway slaves were traveling during the day
and on public transportation through Stark County. This was a strong
abolitionist area that was committed to the anti-slavery movement.
Spellman related that Wright kept a detailed journal of his
travels along his religious circuit, a meticulous record that he
kept for 50 years. The total number of volumes was 19 handwritten
journals that are now at Knox College. Wright detailed his daily
travel and submitted quarterly reports to his employers in the
church. He often referred to his participation in the Underground
Railroad in a type of code that hid his involvement.
Spellman ended her presentation with a quote from Wright's
journal of 1858. He attended the Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg
and related his impressions of the two orators. It was a treat to
hear her mimic Wright's description of Douglas' speaking style, a
sort of bombast designed to reach the farthest edge of the crowd,
estimated at 20,000. Wright said Lincoln spoke plainly as he always
did and still had no trouble being heard by the entire crowd.
With the Underground Railroad a revered institution in American
history and the fact that its web of safety for runaway slaves led
through her hometown, Spellman has been researching this
little-known history of her hometown for the last few years, sharing
her findings with others. It is a fascinating part of central
Illinois history.
[By CURT FOX]
3rd
annual Moving Forward 5K -- register now
The Abraham Lincoln
Healthcare Foundation and Memorial SportsCare at ALMH have announced that an
early discount for participants of the third annual Moving Forward 5K
Run/Walk ends Saturday, Sept. 14. The event is scheduled for Oct. 12 at
Edward Madigan State Park and will go on rain or shine.
Those who register before Sept. 15
will have a discounted registration of $30, which includes a Dri-Fit
race shirt and finisher's medal. After Sept. 15, the registration
fee will increase to $35. Shirts are not guaranteed for late
registrants. Youth 12 and under can register for $10. Runners and
walkers of all fitness levels and ages can register online at
www.almh.org.
At 9 a.m., rain or shine, walkers
and runners of all fitness levels will take off in the Moving
Forward 5K Run/Walk at Madigan Park.
This is a chip-timed event. All
finishers will earn medals. Prizes will be awarded to the top
finishers in the following categories: overall male, overall female,
60 and over male, 60 and over female, 11 and under male, 11 and
under female, and the stroller category.
"Our mission is to improve the
health of the people and communities we serve, and what better way
than through exercise? I hope that this event encourages people of
all fitness levels to get moving forward towards good health," said
Todd Mourning, D.P.T., physical therapist and manager of rehab
services at ALMH.
The Abraham Lincoln Healthcare
Foundation will use proceeds from the Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk to
support local wellness programs.
Memorial SportsCare at ALMH is a
full-service athletic training program for young athletes and active
adults. Services include performance enhancement, injury prevention,
concussion management, training zone programs, high-tech knee and
shoulder treatment, and more.
For more information about the
Moving Forward 5K event, call the ALMH Rehabilitation Department at
217-605-5500 or visit
www.almh.org.
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