Freedom Seekers & the Underground Railroad in Chicago & Northeast Illinois

The Chicago Maritime Museum Third Friday lecture series on October 20th, presents a discussion on the development of the Underground Railroad.

In the decades before the Civil War, several thousand freedom seekers travelled through Northeastern Illinois. This program outlines their stories and the range of encounters with white and Black abolitionists, who provided assistance.

Dr. Larry McClellan has written extensively on the Underground Railroad in Illinois and northwest Indiana. He was the principal author of applications that added sites in Crete, Lockport and on the Little Calumet River to the National Park Service registry of significant Underground Railroad sites in America.

In 1970, Dr. McClellan helped to start Governors State University and taught there for many years. He is now Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Community Studies at GSU. In the late 1970s, he was Mayor of Park Forest South, now University Park, Illinois. From 1993 through 2003, he wrote a monthly regional history column for The Star newspapers in the suburbs south of Chicago.

In conjunction with the Bridgeport Art Center’s Third Friday Open House, the Chicago Maritime Museum opens its doors for lively presentations on maritime history and current events each month. Come early and explore the Bridgeport Art Center’s many art galleries. Join us on Friday, August 18 at 7:00 p.m. either in person or on Zoom.

The presentation is $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members. However, you might just consider joining the CMM for an annual membership of just $35, which provides unlimited visits, access to our monthly newsletter and special events such as the Third Friday maritime lecture series.