Lynn Spellman discusses the Underground Railroad in Stark County

[September 10, 2013]  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]