 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.
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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] |
