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DEERFIELD
“Underground Railroad" Activities
Fugitive Slaves Identified
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The first real information of Andrew Jackson, the runaway slave, Samuel
Ott. imparts to this generation. In the winter of 1858 a mulatto, about 28
years of age, came to the home of Lyman Wiimot, the Abolitionist, at
night, via the "Underground Railway," from Mississippi. The lake was
frozen, so the black man could not be sent across to Canada, therefore he
had been taken to Deerfield. Mr. Wiimot brought the stave to the Lorenz
Ott home to do the chores, so that the children could go to school.
Andrew Jackson's father was a white man, and he worked on his
father’s plantation where he saw liis white sisters. The plantation owner
was more lenient to his son than to his other slaves, arid Andrew learned
more than his companions, therefore the desire to be free so overcame the
bd that it led him to attempt to escape but bloodhounds tracked him, and
he was brought back. In his second attempt at freedom he was successful,
and he crossed the Ohio River, where he was sent on fits journey north.
The man was a good worker, kept the horses clean (he had been a
yardman on the plantation) and "made a nice gate of stout wood" which
he said would last till the slaves were freed. When that occurred he
requested Mr. Ott to destroy the gate, which sentimental request was not
heeded by the thrifty fanner. After reaching the slaves' haven, Andrew
wrote to his benefactors who had taught him to read and write, of his
safe arrival, and that was the last that they ever heard of him. Samuel Ott
was fourteen years of age at that time, and he recalls much that the
Negro did while here.
From another source it is learned that die slave, Andrew Jackson's
escape was planned because he had been sold. "My kind master found it
necessary to sell me. None of the slaves were given any education as our
masters thought that we would rebel or outwit them. But a friend told
me tliat the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and that as one goes
further south it gets warmer, and going north it gets colder. With this
information only, l decided to run away. I was soon captured for my
master had discovered my absence soon after 1 left, and had sent blood
hounds after me. When taking me back to the plantation my captor tied
my arms with a rope, which was fastened to the horse, and made me
walk in front of him, while he rode. I loosened the rope and walked
along as if I were not trying to escape. Soon 1 noticed that mv master was
sleeping, so J dropped the rope, and jumped into the woods. Most of the
time I hid during the day, and often pursuers were so close to my hiding
place tiiat I could hear my master giving directions to them.
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"Several times I was without food for a number of days. Many times
I ate raw com taken from a field when I passed through it. One time I fell
in a barrel when I was looking for food, and even thought I hurt my hip
severely, I managed to limp back into the woods. One day 1 came to a
hut and asked a girl, who was alone, for some bread, which I could see
was freshly baked. The child refused to give it to me so 1 grabbed a few
loaves and ran, and when safely hidden, ate them. These are but a few of
my hardships, but I am glad to be with friends now. "A group of
Abolitionists lived in Highland Park, and would often come to Deerfield
if they knew that the farmers were bringing their crops to town. Often
many hot debates took place on what is now known as Autes' comer.
Slaves were also seen in Deerfield, but it is not known in which direction
they went. (Source: Marie Ward Reichelt for Deerfield Post 738, American
Legion H33. 081 Glermew Press, August 1928, p. 107-8.)
DEERFIELD
In 1860 a runaway slave, called "Andrew Jackson," came through
Deerfield, where he stayed with Mr. Lorenz Ott, who lived where Mr.
Orman Rockenhach now lives. Later he lived with Mr. Lyman Wiimot
until the Civil War was over. He had many hardships to endure while he
was with cruel masters, but later he was taught to read and write, and in
return he showed the white people how to tie com with a stalk of corn
and many other methods of farming. This is one incident of the anti
slavery activities. (Source: Marie Ward Reichelt for Deerfield Post 738.
American I.egion #33, 081 Glenview Press, August 1928, p. 83.)
Andrew Jackson
This is a depiction of the fugitive sla\e.
Lorenz Ott
(1803-1863)
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The VVilmot homestead is located at 60J Wilmot Road. Hie original
house consisted of n kitchen and living room with a "ladder" stairway
to the space above them—the sleeping loft. One of the stories perpetu
ated about the home is that it once was an underground station for
runaway slaves during the Civil War. Lyman VVilmot was known to
have been an abolitionist.
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who hid Andrew
Jackson in a cabin
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Garrison and McKim especially faced the problem of slavery head-on in
the manner of New England Puritan preachers of old, something the
more moderate Lake Forest founders—concerned at the prospect of dis
ruptive social upheaval—tended to avoid. Indeed, the Lake Foresters'
moderate position on slavery against it in Cite western territories where
they wanted to expand Chicago business interests, but willing to wait for
it to die out in the south may have contributed to their seeking such an
enclosed, maze-like street plan with entry to the town confined for all
practical purposes to the streets around the depot. Several dues suggest
that African-Americans and perhaps fugitive slaves were on hand here in
the late 1850s and early 1860s—before Emancipation. Covertly too.
Sylvester Lind and the Lake Forest founders took risks—Danforth reports
Lind himself traveled down the lakes with Underground Railroad "pas
sengers” to cue them when, literally, the "the coast was clear" -and
worked hard, short of John Brown- like revolutionary acts, to gain free
dom for African-Americans and to work toward the election of Lincoln
in 1660.
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SYLVESTER LIND, THE NORTON'S GRANDFATHER,
AND THE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT
John J Halsey's 1912 History of 1-ake County, Illinois provides a biogra
phical sketch of Sylvester Lind, a censor figure in the founding of lake
forest. Lind was bom in Scotland in 1808, arriving in Chicago in 1837 tc
work as a carpenter, in 1842 he entered the lumber business and in 1S4S
organized the Lind & Dunlap firm with mills at Cedar River, Michigan on
the western shore directly west of Door County's Washington Island.
Arpee reports that he was also in the banking and insurance businesses
making and losing at least three fortunes as the economic health of earl)
Chicago came and went. Before the railroad wen! through, his banking
business in Milwaukee and Chicago led him up and down the old Greer
Bay Trail by Lake Forest.
An article on "The Under-Ground Railway" in the May 1890 Stentor
the College newspaper (pp. 165-88), highlighted Lind's importance tr
the anti-slavery movement of the days when Lake Forest was founded
The article was written by an enterprising member of the class of 1891
William E. Danforth, who also conducted interviews with explorers
George Konnan and Sir Henry Stanley who visited the town and a bed
side February 1890 interview with the legendary ex-slave and local driver
Samuel Dent, who died in June of 1890, and is buried in the Lake Forest
Cemetery'. Lind was an active "conductor” on the Underground Railroad
and a leader in the Chicago movement, with his Chicago river lumber
yard there a staging point for smuggling fugitive slaves down the lakes.
The Fugitive Slave Act was harsh, and a captain risked losing his ship iJ
caught. Danforth s article, though, details how Ltnd and others would
arrange for the captain to look the other way for "deniabilitv" while ex
slaves scrambled on board and stowed away. They then jumped off at
the Island-refueling stop at Death's Door between
the Door County mainland and the Washington
Island to wait for another ship heading for
Detroit. This ship, in turn, would drift dose
enough to the Ontario shore in the narrow St.
Clair River to permit the African-Americans to
leap to freedom. Lind's concern for the plight of
the African-Americans, some of whom probably
were present in I ake Forest before the Civil War,
was shared by others in town and carried over
into the close, warm ties between the races
fhoco rcorresv ct
through the rest of the nineteenth century.
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It s interesting that the next owners of
Historical Socuiy
the property after Mrs. (Eliza O.) find, who lived
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<All Headings> "underground railroad illinois" -- Title 4 of 12
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Book
ocm44999347
Dorscv. James.
The underground railroad : Northeastern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin / bv James Doresey.
Sons of Thunder Ministry,
c2000.
72 p., [4] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-72).
Underground railroad.
Fugitive slaves -United States.
Illinois —History -1778-1865.
Wisconsin —History —1778-1865.
Holdings
ALL LIBS:
Gail Borden Public Library District: 977.02 Dorsey
(ILL Lender)
DI^North Chicago Public Library: N.C.Col. R 973.7115 DOR (ILL Lender)
Waukegan Public Library: 973.7115 DOR pbk
Others
Fox River Grove Public Library District: 973.7115 Dor
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Auto-Graphics, Inc. Pomona, California. © 1995 - 2001 All rights reserved.
1 of 1
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�LOCATIONS AND ADDRESSES
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STOPS
T?>w «?re among the t.ake County sites bciieveil
to have played a role in the Underground
Railroad.
Distances Between Underground Railroad Stops
Ivanhoe Congressional Church
Rt. 176, West of Routes 60/83
Ivanhoe, Illinois
Ivanhoe Congregational Church to Bonner Farm
12.3 miles
Bonner Farm to Millbum Congregational Church
2.0 miles
Millbum Congregational Church to James Cory House
James Cory House to Mother Rudd Horae
Millbum Congregational Church
Grass lake Road & Route 4S
Millbum. Illinois
(Historical landmarks-churcK
store and houses)
IS.6 miles
S.3 miles
Millbum Church
o
iifnbmn Road
Bonner Farm
Mother Rudd Home
4690 Old Grand Avenue
Gurnee. Illinois
(Comer of Old Grand Avenue
and Kilboume)
m
Sand ljnk* Rood
QnmdArttmt
Mother Rudd
Cory House
St. *s
H’asfrinrron Sr.
Bonner Farm
1842 Homestead
Lake County Forest Preserve
Country' Place & Sand Lake Road
Millbum, Illinois
©
ML 120
I
i
St S3
James Cory Home
321 N. Uticri Street
Waukegan. Illinois
(Historical landmark)
ML 1/6
Ivanhoe Church
r
�
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
Lyman Wilmot House
Description
An account of the resource
This collection consists of records related to the Deerfield Public Library's research into whether or not the Wilmot house could be proved to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Deerfield Public Library
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Deerfield Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Deerfield Public Library
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2002
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DPL.0013
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.
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
Deerfield "Underground Railroad" Activities; The Underground Railroad: Northeastern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin
Description
An account of the resource
Photocopy of section of the book The Underground Railroad: Northeastern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin by James Dorsey related to escaped slaves who may have passed through the Deerfield area.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Dorsey, James
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
The Underground Railroad: Northeastern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin
North Chicago Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Sons of Thunder Ministry
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2000
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DPL.0013.011
Abolitionism
Abraham Lincoln
African Americans
American Civil War
American Legion
American Legion Deerfield Post 738
Andrew Jackson
Anti-Slavery Activities
Autes' Corner
Auto-Graphics Incorporated
Bonner Farm
Canada
Carpenter
Caspar Ott
Caspar Ott Cabin
Cedar River Michigan
Chicago Illinois
Chicago River
Chicago River Lumber Yard
Death's Door
Deerfield American Legion
Deerfield Illinois
Deerfield Public Library
Deerfield Underground Railroad Activities
Detroit Michigan
Door County Wisconsin
Eliza O. Lind
Fox River Grove Public Library
Fugitive Slave Acts
Fugitive Slaves
Gail Borden Public Library
George Konnan
Glenview Press
Green Bay Trail
Gurnee Illinois
Henry Stanley
Highland Park Illinois
History of Lake County Illinois
Ivanhoe Congressional Church
Ivanhoe Illinois
James Cory
James Dorsey
Jasper Ott
John Brown
John J. Halsey
Lake County Discovery Museum
Lake County Forest Preserve
Lake County Illinois
Lake Forest Cemtery
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College Stentor
Lake Forest Illinois
Lake Forest Lake Bluff Historical Society
Lind and Dunlap Firm
Lorenz Ott
Lumber Business
Lyman Wilmot
Marie Ward Reichelt
Millburn Congregational Church
Millburn Illinois
Milwaukee Wisconsin
Mississippi
Mother Rudd Home
North Chicago Public Library
North Suburban Library System Database
Ohio River
Ontario Canada
Orman Rockenbach
Pomona California
Samuel Dent
Samuel Ott
Scotland
Sons of Thunder Ministry
St. Clair River
Stentor
Sylvester Lind
The Underground Railroad: Northeastern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin
The Underground Railway
Underground Railroad
Washington Island Wisconsin
Wauconda Illinois
Waukegan Illinois
Waukegan Public Library
William E. Danforth