Publications & Sites 
Story of Underground Railroad’s local stop
A freedom seeker who might have traveled the Underground Railroad. | Photo courtesy Elmhurst Historical Museum
On Jan. 1, the United States marked a landmark anniversary: 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The proclamation boldly declared that “all persons held as slaves are and henceforward shall be free.”Although the Emancipation Proclamation had limitations and has been the subject of much debate throughout history, it was undoubtedly a key step in the anti-slavery movement and a turning point in public sentiment that transformed the Civil War into a fight for freedom.
To commemorate this historic event, the Elmhurst Historical Museum presents “Traveling the Underground Railroad” at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17.
The presenter will be Jeanne Angel, director of the Lombard Historical Society and a researcher and scholar on Underground Railroad history. Angel oversees operations at the Sheldon Peck Homestead in Lombard, the only verified site in Chicagoland listed on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The presentation will feature some myth busting about the history of the Underground Railroad, and an overview of Underground Railroad sites in DuPage County and specific details about Peck’s network.
The program will be in the Elmhurst Historical Museum’s Education Center, 120 E. Park Ave., Elmhurst. Admission to the program is free (donations welcome), and limited on-site parking is available.
More information at www.elmhursthistory.org or (630) 833-1457.
