The Underground Railroad in Southern Illinois
By the 1830s, the system of routes used to help slaves escape from the Southern states became known as the Underground Railroad, though it was neither underground nor a railroad. Fugitive slaves traveled largely on foot, stopping to rest at the homes of abolitionists and others who provided safe havens, known as stations. Operators and conductors helped runaways reach the next station.
The success of the Underground Railroad led to greater legal restrictions on both slaves and free blacks. Southern states employed patrols and bounty hunters to recapture slaves. Southern owners advertised rewards for runaways in northern newspapers.
Particularly because Illinois dipped farther south than the other free states and was bordered by slave states Missouri and Kentucky, it was an important part of the Underground Railroad system. Two routes began in Southern Illinois at Cairo in Alexander County and at Chester in Randolph County. These two lines merged at Centralia and extended north through Vandalia, Pena, Decatur, Bloomington, Joliet, and Chicago. Another route followed the Illinois River from Alton to Chicago. At Chicago, runaways could take a boat to Canada.
In addition to assisting runaways, the Underground Railroad focused attention on the horror of slavery and demonstrated that African Americans could take care of themselves. It also discouraged assumptions and encouraged people of all races to work together toward a humanitarian goal.