underground railroad

Remembering the Ordinary People - and Extraordinary Actions - of the Underground Railroad

Remembering the Ordinary People - and Extraordinary Actions - of the Underground Railroad

From all of us at the St. Charles History Museum, we would like to thank the hundreds of visitors we had at our spring exhibit: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions: St. Charles and the Underground Railroad. Our dedicated museum staff spent hundreds of hours researching local connections to the freedom-seeking movement of the mid-1800s.

Fact vs. Fiction: The Story of John Farnsworth and Local Civil War Era Figures

Fact vs. Fiction: The Story of John Farnsworth and Local Civil War Era Figures

Researching the Underground Railroad can be incredibly frustrating at times, as we often run into dead ends due to the scarcity and secrecy of sources. The abolitionist movement was a dangerous cause to stand with, especially to those that were actively helping escaped slaves. Leaving behind evidence of abolitionist activity could have been deadly back then, and now makes research and finding the cold hard truth difficult.