1 10 24 https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/0cb5afcd66ebb5b937defb5300182a93.jpg 24e399bb571182a17f7325efbdba335d https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/269933f1337db37c35e41229726be1fb.jpg 4f9b32bea43b3866c7ab5d2d48cf655d https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/0710a5e08bf43327b289c2a6113dd6cd.jpg af73d829a92f59d835b9031ce88d7dfc Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h2>A railroad station mural</h2> Subject The topic of the resource <h2>The underground railroad in Macomb, IL</h2> Description An account of the resource <h3>This three-paneled mural is located in the Thomas C. Carper Amtrak train station in Macomb. Unveiled November 6, 2025, the mural is titled, "Freedom's Trail: The Underground Railroad in McDonough County." The artist Michael Mahoney created the mural. The mural centers the figures of African Americans fleeing slavery, suggesting their agency and various ways of flight (though, notwithstanding the mural's details and location, actually rarely along railroad tracks), both individually and, less often, as families. The fugitives in the mural do not depict any particular people, suggestive of the anonymous identities of most freedom-seekers - their intention and that of their conductors. The white figures in the murals are based on historic photographs of the Harmon Allison and James Blazer families, who hid and transported fugitives through McDonough County. The map shows the locations of the Allison farm in Chalmers township and the Blazer farm in Industry. </h3> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h3>Michael Mahoney</h3> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h3>November 6, 2025</h3> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource <h3>Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau</h3> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h3>Still image</h3> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h3>WIUGRR24</h3> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h3>Illinois, United States</h3> antislavery heritage tourism Illinois Macomb slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/a6af92a35f5c4b9e54e4b01ee0a9d720.png 10d1c7780854b4c2476d1d4eff3690f1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h3>A trap door</h3> Subject The topic of the resource <h2>The underground railroad in Macomb, IL</h2> Description An account of the resource <h4>This image shows a trap door inside a Macomb home built in 1854-1855 by George Parkinson, and subsequently owned by Damon Tunnicliff, a prominent Illinois lawyer who opposed slavery and whose daughter, Helen Tunnicliff Catterall, wrote a renowned, multi-volume, <em>Judicial Cases Concerning American Slavery and the Negro</em> (1926-1937). Local legend asserts the home was a UGRR stop on the basis of an underground tunnel, now closed, but which connected the house with a smaller cabin outside it, to which the trap door pictured leads.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h3>Damon Tunnicliff</h3> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <h4>"Macomb's Historic Homes," <em>Illinois Stories, </em>produced by <span>WSIU Public Broadcasting, aired December 19, 2011</span></h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>WSIU PUblic Broadcasting</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>Trap door probably built in the 1860s-1870s; video produced 2011</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>Public Broadcasting Service</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>Still image</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR23</h4> antislavery heritage tourism Illinois Macomb slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/cbb768985e02d7461849c7a08931c8e4.jpg 10c83e8c0f0223d57456deb2a886412a Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data <h4>Stone and metal monument</h4> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h3>Beecher Chapel marker</h3> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Underground Railroad tourism and heritage</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Presbyterian and Congregational settlers in Galesburg formed the town's Old First Church in 1837. By the 1850s, their unity fractured over Congregationalists' opposition to some southern Presbyterians' support of slavery. In 1858 Congregationalists separated to establish the First Congregational Church, calling Edward Beecher, former president of Illinois College and co-founder of Illinois' first antislavery society, to return to the state from Boston, Massachusetts. The First Congregational Church, on South Broad Street, was across the street and south of the Old First Church. The belfry of the Old First Church was known as a hiding place for fugitive slaves. The Old First Church was razed in 1895, the same year that Knox College acquired the First Congregational Church and renamed it Beecher Chapel. The chapel itself was razed in 1966.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Galesburg Pilot Club</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>Marker erected 1987</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>image</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #20</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Congregationalists Edward Beecher Galesburg Illinois slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/6aeca9cda441da282a382b0a21eb6bd3.jpg 7d3dfe25659195036f37829d71d8fdf6 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data <h4>printed color map</h4> Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image <h4>5' x 3'</h4> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h3>WIUGRR Map</h3> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Underground Railroad maps</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>A map of the sites of the Underground Railroad in Western Illinois, documentable based on records surviving as of 2005</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Owen Muelder</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Knox College</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>January 2005</h4> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource <h4>BGPatterson</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>Owen Muelder, Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Knox College</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Language A language of the resource <h4>English</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>map</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR22</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Knox College maps slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/e7c98126efdf0bca365eed50f49f6b01.jpg c860c4f39e93fdf60c8460b9b5b79b64 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document For sale, a likely negro girl, 16 years of age For further particulars, enquire at this office. Kaskaskia Dec 12, 1826 21-8t Public notice. This day was committed to the custody of the sheriff of Randolph county, State of Illinois, a Runaway, a Negro Man who calls himself Martin Barker, about forty-three years of age about five feet nine inches high, a scar over his right eye, and also one on his right leg above his ankle, his make and appearance active; he states that he once belonged to Lewis Barker, of Pope county, near the Rock-in-Cave but that he is now free. If any person has any legal claim to him, they are requested to exhibit the same, and pay all charges according to law. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data digital image Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>"Negroes" for sale</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Opposition to the underground railroad</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Public notices of availability of two African Americans for purchase, a sixteen-year-old girl, and a forty-three-year-old man. Parallel to the Underground Railroad, there existed a "reverse underground railroad," which, as in this item, targeted African Americans in Kaskaskia, Illinois, and other places on the southern and western Illinois borders. State "black codes" required African Americans to provide proof they were not fugitives; those who could not could be sold into slavery.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>NPR Illinois</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>December 12, 1826</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>none asserted</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Language A language of the resource <h4>English</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>text</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #7</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <em>Illinois Reporter</em> newspaper antislavery Illinois Illinois Reporter newspaper Kaskaskia slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/928f505592fe95afb79282f307f5fc78.jpg f9127a6f9391828b9369704c56b39f6d Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Galesburg Colony at Knox College The Underground Railroad was an informal network of people who helped thousands of African-American slaves escape to freedom. Anti-slavery organizations and Underground Railroad activities were the first integrated social movements in American history. Galesburg and Knox College, located in West Central Illinois, were founded in 1837 by anti-slavery advocates who came to Knox County from upstate New York. The town and College, from their inception, were perceived as most likely the leading down-state center of abolitionism and Underground Railroad activity in Illinois. Though other down-state communities could lay claim to significant anti-slavery and Underground Railroad involvement, what made Galesburg unique was the fact that the overwhelming majority of its citizens, for the first 20 years of its existence, were opposed to the institution of slavery. The anti-slavery influence and Underground Railroad involvement of many Galesburg citizens gradually affected numerous people and communities in a wide circle surrounding the college town. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data text Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>A college's claim to fame</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Galesburg's Knox College's role in the antislavery movement</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>The college's online history emphasizes its founding by opponents of slavery, making Galesburg a regional center of underground railroad activity.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Knox College</h4> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <h4>https://www.knox.edu/about-knox/our-history/knox-and-galesburg-history/underground-railroad</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>Knox College</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>1837</h4> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource <h4>Underground Railroad Center at Knox College</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>Knox College</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Language A language of the resource <h4>English</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>website</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #3</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Galesburg Illlinois Knox College slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/613e25bd8bdfede19055817d046541fd.jpg f65a1a1b359cf61cbb6e05548afc091f Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photograph Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>A national underground railroad map</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Routes of the underground railroad across the North</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Western Illinois' UGRR routes show prominently in this map, including northeast from Quincy through the Military Tract counties to Princeton, the location of prominent UGRR conductor Owen Lovejoy.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Wilburt Siebert</h4> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <h4><em>The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom </em></h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>1898</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>none asserted</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg photograph Language A language of the resource <h4>English</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>image</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #9</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>United States</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>New York: Macmillan</h4> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource <h4>Wikimedia</h4> antislavery Illinois map slavery Underground Railroad Wilbur Siebert https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/572a4906518f3f2c54580ef519a1e7de.jpg 7def5b06a7695b8941fe24c369215f1f Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Western Illinois Men Pardoned for Work on Underground Railroad By SEAN CRAWFORD • DEC 31, 2014 Illinois' Governor has posthumously pardoned three men for their work with the Underground Railroad. The men all lived in west central Illinois and were convicted more than 170 years ago based on laws that prohibited helping runaway slaves. Those laws remained in place even after Illinois abolished slavery in 1824. The Richard Eells House in Quincy CREDIT THE FRIENDS OF DR. RICHARD EELLS HOUSE Dr. Richard Eells was from Quincy. He agreed to help a fugitive slave get to an Underground Railroad site but the slave was caught and Eells arrested. He was convicted and fined, but remained a leader in the abolitionist movement and helped hundreds of other enslaved African Americans escape to freedom. Governor Pat Quinn also pardoned Julius Willard and his son Samuel. They helped a woman reach the Underground Railroad from their Jacksonville home. The Willard's were also convicted and fined. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data text, photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>A posthumous pardon</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Official pardon of three conductors</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Illinois Governor Pat Quinn pardoned Richard Eells of Quincy and Julius and Samuel Willard of Jacksonville, who in 1843 were convicted of aiding fugitive slaves.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>TriStates Public Radio</h4> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <h4>https://www.tspr.org/post/western-illinois-men-pardoned-work-underground-railroad</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>TriStates Public Radio</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>December 31, 2014</h4> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource <h4>TriStates Public Radio, Illinois Office of the Governor, Friends of Dr. Richard Eells House</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>no rights asserted</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Language A language of the resource <h4>English</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>text, image</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #2</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Illinois Jacksonville Julius Willard Pat Quinn Quincy Richard Eells Samuel Willard slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/6d2aff0ee5b838fc96127106f618d53f.jpg 88ccf9a8a9b491be7e3716a0d11deab8 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Text Any textual data included in the document Dr. Richard Eells built this home, now located within the Downtown Quincy Historic District, in 1835. Eells built only the front portion of the house as it stands today, four blocks from the Mississippi River. He lived here until his death in 1848. Quincy, Illinois, was the first Underground Railroad station across the border of Missouri—a slave state. An abolitionist, Eells was actively involved in the Underground Railroad. In 1842 he was caught helping an escaped slave, Charley, from Monticello, Missouri. Charley was brought to the Eells house by a freed black, Barryman Barnett, who had spotted Charley swimming across the Mississippi River. While transporting Charley to Quincy's Mission Institute, a safer hiding place, Eells came across a posse looking for Charley. Charley fled, on Eells's advice, and was later found and returned to Missiouri. Eells returned home where he was shortly arrested and charged with harboring and secreting a fugitive slave under the Illinois Criminal Code. Judge Stephen A. Douglas heard the case in April 1843, and fined Eells $400, which he appealed. Meanwhile, Eells became president of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Party in 1843 and was a candidate for the Liberty Party for the presidential election of 1844. He lost his appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, the process of which drained him financially and emotionally. Eells died on a river boat on the Ohio River while on a a trip east to rest. His estate appealed his case to United States Supreme Court, which also upheld the guilt verdict. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data website Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>A Quincy station</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>Richard Eells House</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Dr. Richard Eells built this home, Quincy's oldest two-story building, now located within its Downtown  Historic District, in 1835, four blocks from the Mississippi River. Quincy, Illinois, was the first Underground Railroad station across the border of Missouri—a slave state. Popular information today credits Eells with helping several hundred enslaved people to freedom, surprising, given his prominence in Quincy, and, indeed, across the antislavery North.  Eells' most celebrated accomplice was a man named Charley, or Charlie, who escaped from a slave owner in Monticello, Missouri in 1842. Barryman Barnett, a free black man, spotted Charley swimming the Mississippi River and brought him to Eells. After attempting to transport Charley to Quincy's Mission Institute, Eells was arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive slave under the Illinois Criminal Code. Judge Stephen A. Douglas heard the case in 1843, and fined Eells $400. Eells appealed the case, but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld his conviction. Meanwhile, Eells became president of the Illinois Anti-Slavery Party in 1843 and was a candidate for the Liberty Party for the presidential election of 1844.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Friends of the Dr. Richard Eells House</h4> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <h4>https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/il3.htm</h4> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <h4>U.S. National Park Service</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>1835</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>none asserted</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>image</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #5</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Illinois Quincy Richard Eells slavery Underground Railroad https://timroberts.org/wiugrr/files/original/82985a8e10a78a5f74602482233d1e33.jpg edc06c02aeb0c015d414185e22ad29b4 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data photo Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <h4>A tombstone in a mixed raced community cemetery</h4> Subject The topic of the resource <h4>African American Cemetery, New Philadelphia, Illinois</h4> Description An account of the resource <h4>Photograph by the Illinois State Museum of the McWorter or Old Cemetery, where the remains of African American residents of Philadelphia, Illinois were buried. Philadelphia was a village in southwestern Illinois founded in 1836 by Frank McWorter, a former slave who sold land lots to black, white, and mixed-race settlers, using the proceeds to buy the freedom of sixteen relatives. New Philadelphia, as it became known, is claimed to have been an underground railroad station. It flourished until the late nineteenth century.</h4> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <h4>Illinois State Museum</h4> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource <h4>2005</h4> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <h4>courtesy Illinois State Museum</h4> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource <h4>jpeg photograph</h4> Type The nature or genre of the resource <h4>image</h4> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <h4>WIUGRR #12</h4> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant <h4>Illinois, United States</h4> antislavery Illinois Military Tract New Philadelphia slavery Underground Railroad