Underground Railroad Society
of Cass County, Michigan
urscc.org
Cass County and the Underground Railroad
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN CASS COUNTY MI
"A Hotbed of Abolitionism"
"The United States Senate A.D. 1850" painted by Peter F. Rothermel
The story of the Underground Railroad in Cass County is one of cooperation, respect and mutual trust among Quakers, free blacks, fugitive slaves and other abolitionists to combat the hated institution of slavery. One historian says "the interdependence of these groups created a unique environment that helped minimize racism, promote cooperation between the races and create an African American community unique to the North".
Quaker Levi Coffin of Wayne County, Indiana is called the 'President of the Underground Railroad'. Several Quaker families migrated to Wayne County, and from there to Cass County, Michigan, settling in Penn, Calvin and Porter townships. They formed the Young's Prairie Anti-Slavery Meeting in 1845 creating 'The Quaker Line' of the UGRR, as well as a refuge for freedom seekers all over the South, especially the border State of Kentucky.
According to early Cass County histories, the homes of Quakers Stephen Bogue, Zachariah Shugart, Josiah Osborn and Ishmael Lee were UGRR 'stations of much importance'. The Stephen Bogue house still stands at M-60 and Crooked Creek Road. Quaker abolitionist William Jones' house at M-60 and Gards Prairie Road is also a UGRR site. It is claimed that over 1500 freedom seekers passed through Cass County on their way to Canada on a route through Schoolcraft, Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Detroit and finally Windsor. There was so much UGRR activity in the area around Vandalia that it was known in Washington D.C. as "that hotbed of abolitionism".
Between 1842 and 1847 there developed a colony of fugitives who resided in small cabins on 5-10 acre plots of Quaker owned land. In exchange for clearing the land, freedom seekers could plant gardens, earn money, and participate in community activities. James E. Bonine, who built the Bonine House and Carriage House at M-60 and Penn/Calvin Center Road, was one of the Quaker farmers who set aside land to be cleared and farmed for a period of 5-10 years. The settlement on Bonine property south of M-60 and west of Calvin Center Road included a school and came to be called "Ramptown" (probably after a wild onion called a ramp). When the arrangement ended, many settled in the area and prospered, often purchasing their own farms. Freedom seekers living in cabins on the Osborn, East, Bogue and Shugart properties were targets in the infamous "Kentucky Raid" of 1847.
Many African American families were free long before migration to Cass and have documented their history. Early free black families of Cass County include the Andersons, Wilsons, Stewarts and Allens. These Freedmen founded an anti-slavery society and engaged in anti-slavery activism, playing pivotal roles in the UGRR and Kentucky Raid. Descendants of these families still reside in the area. Chain Lake Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Michigan, was established in 1838 and played an important role in UGRR activities.
Underground Railroad Society
of Cass County, Michigan
urscc.org