The town of Golconda, Illinois, was a town of contradictions during the nineteenth century. Although some community members were a part of the Underground Railroad and provided a safe haven for runaway slaves, others in the town perpetuated the hostilities and dangers facing the fugitives.
Since Golconda served as a known destination on northern escape routes, the town’s jail became the detention site for those captured in the region. Fugitive slave notices were often printed in Golconda Weekly Herald newspaper. However, in the Golconda Courthouse, migrating African Americans could post the state-mandated $1,000 bond to secure their freedom.
In 1860, the Golconda Weekly Herald described continuous violence and the danger that loomed for freedom seekers and locals who aided in their escape through Illinois. Almost every issue contained reports of abuses and threats of tar and feathering for local abolitionists.
William Hall was an escaped slave who referenced Golconda as a major point on his flight toward freedom during his fourth escape attempt. When describing the tribulations of his journey he recalled “I travelled three nights, not daring to travel days, until I came to Golconda, which I recognized by a description I had [been] given on a previous attempt.”
In the heart of today’s Shawnee National Forest, Golconda is 15 miles from the former Miller Grove which was a free Black community amidst the turbulent times of the mid-1800s.
Sources:
Cheryl LaRoche, Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: the Geography of Resistance.
Benjamin Drew, The Refugee: Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada.
This information about the Underground Railroad is part of a geo-located multi-forest interpretive program. Please contact the U.S. Forest Service Washington Office Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources program leadership with any questions or to make changes. SGV – Recreation Data and Information Coordinator.
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GPS Coordinates
Latitude 37° 21′ 59.2157″ N
Longitude 88° 29′ 5.9885″ W