Marking history
Despite pandemic-forced pause, Underground Railroad effort retains momentum, secures Park Service signs for Little Calumet site
Thousands of slaves sought freedom in the years before the Civil War, traveling north assisted by a network of abolitionists and volunteers known as the Underground Railroad. An estimated 3,000 to 4,500 freedom seekers made their way through the Chicago region. Among them were young runaways hidden in the bottom of a wagon and covered with so many ears of corn they could barely breathe.
Driving the wagon to an Underground Railroad stop in Hammond, Indiana, was Jan Ton, a Dutch immigrant. His 40-acre farm on the outskirts of Chicago was near the banks of the Little Calumet River. His home was a safe house.
Chicago’s Finest Marina, 557 E. 134th Street, now occupies the site. Owned by retired Chicago police Officer Ronald Gaines, it is Chicago’s only Black-owned marina.
Thanks to a $9,600 grant from the National Park Service, the location will soon be marked with official signage recognizing its historic significance. In 2019, the National Park Service accepted the Jan and Aagje Ton farm site for inclusion on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom list.
“There are 15 other sites, mostly further into Chicago, that are known Underground Railroad sites, but this is the first in the Chicago area to be nationally recognized,” said historian, founding Governors State University faculty member and author Larry McClellan.
McClellan, lead project historian for the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project, submitted the application for the Ton site to be included in the National Parks listing.
He made the announcement about the new signage grant late last month at the group’s first meeting since the start of the pandemic.
From the looks of things, the organization had not lost any momentum.
The group assembled quickly for a photo behind a table sporting an organization banner. Four additional attendees, including Gaines, later joined the meeting held in a conference room at TCA Health, Inc. on 130th Street.
Until recently, the group met regularly at nearby George Washington Carver High School, according to Tom Shepherd, lead project organizer for the Project. For what he described as “a year for rebuilding us,” moving the location seemed “a smart move.”
“Carver was a nice location,” he said, “but we found more people from the surrounding community joining us at this new location.”
For the last 20 years, Shepherd and McClellan have spearheaded an effort to unearth the history of the Underground Railroad in the Chicago region.
McClellan, who is considered an authority on the Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois, wrote about the freedom seekers and abolitionists including Jan Ton in his book, “The Underground Railroad of South Chicago,” published by Thorn Creek Press in 2019.
Asking Project members to renew their commitment to the organization’s mission, McClellan offered plenty of historic context. “Of those freedom seekers coming through the Chicago region, anywhere from 500 to 800 walked or rode in wagons or buggies across the Indiana Avenue bridge about a mile from here,” he said.
Ann Carson, a resident of Altgeld Gardens in Chicago, recalled barges hitting a newer steel version of the bridge.
All attendees seemed enthusiastic about learning more and contributing new knowledge, as well as offering input regarding verbiage for the historic marker.
Beyond the Ton farm, discussions involved more recent African American history.
Chicago’s Finest Marina was built in the 1950s for African American boaters who experienced discrimination at other marinas.
Cheryl Johnson spoke with pride about her mother, Hazel M. Johnson, leader of an environmental justice movement rooted at Altgeld Gardens.
Coining the phrase “toxic donut,” the older Johnson had demanded enforcement of federal environmental laws for what was once considered one of the most polluted areas in the country. She also worked with Barack Obama as a community organizer in the 1980s.
Also present were members of partnering organizations including Architreasures, Friends of the Forest Preserves and Openlands.
Ann Barghusen, aquatic ecologist for Openlands, gave a presentation on the African American Heritage Water Trail, which encompasses an 11-mile stretch of the Little Calumet River from the Beaubien Woods boat ramp to the Alsip boat launch.
Points of interest along the water trail include the Ton farm, the Major Taylor Trail bridge honoring world champion African American bicycle racer Marshall Taylor, Burr Oak Cemetery, and Robbins Airport, which was established by African Americans and was a training ground for African American pilots, including some of the earliest female aviators.
Barghusen encouraged residents living along the Little Calumet River to join Openlands’ efforts to mark and upgrade areas along the waterway and intersecting biking and hiking trails.
The next meeting of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project and its participating partners is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m., Oct. 28, at TCA Health, 1029 E. 130th St.