Village of Vandalia
Penn Township
Cass County District Library
Cass County Local History Library
Cass County Historical Society
Minority Coalition of Cass County
Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society
Michigan Historical Society
Penn Friends Community Church​

 Carolyn Kelly
 Mark Kelly                                                   Mike Kidman                                             John Kloswick                                                 Lisa Klount                                             Kathleen Kolmodin                                   Tom Kovalak
 Irene Kratzer
 Ken and Shirley Krause
 Nancy Kurshan                                       Chuck and Barbara Lamar                 Marilyn Lamar                                           Zane and Stacey Lankford
 Cathy LaPointe                                             Jan LaPointe                                                 Jim LaPointe                                             Scott LaPointe                                         Barbara Lawson
 Paul and Sara Lawson
 Roger and Tanya Leach                           Cara Leahy
 Peg Leonardo
 Edward C. Levy
 George Linder                                                 Jim Long
 Linda and William Lorenz
 Bridgette Bonine Lusk
 Ginger Luxemburger
 Peter and Mary Lysy                             Debian Marty                                        Roseann and Gerald Marchetti
 Fred and Thelda Mathews
 Douglas and Ernestine Matthews
 Howard and Patricia Matthews           Bianca and Curtis May
 Ron and Kay McAdam
 Gale McCarty
 Helen McCauslin                                       Tom and Paula McElroy
 Phillip and Jennie McDonald                 Daniel and Barbara McKeeby         Brian McKenzie                                       Kieth and Darlene McKenzie                 Alisea McLeod                                     Michael McLoughin                                   
 Connie and Stephen McTigue               David and Alice Miller
 Jennifer Miller                                   Ruth Miller
 Joseph and Linda Mills
 Judy Minter and John Ayers               Connie Minzey                                     Shauna Mishler
 Julie Mitchell
 Diane Mohney                                     Chris and Liz Momany                               Jim and   Becky Moore
 Gail and Rex Morey
 John and Linda Morgan
 Sue and Don Morgan
 Mike Moroz
 Ken and Jackie Morrell                               Bob and Sharon Morrison                     David and Lucinda Morrison                       Robert Moss                                           Brigid Mulloy                                         Sandra Murray                                                   Eunice and Larry Murray
 Nancy Whitmyer Neff
 Patricia Nemeth
 Greg and Cindy Nichols
 V Lyn Niles                                                     John and Barbara Norton
 Judy Olsen
 Anne Pancella
 Rosemary Pane
 Janice Martin Parmeter
 Janet Parrish                                             Steve Parsons
 Patty Patano
 Felomina Patton
 Leslie Paul
 Phyllis and Michael Petersen
 Richard and Suzanne Peterson
 Vickie Phillipson                                 Heather Pletcher
 Lin Pollard                                               Earnest Porath                                         Susanne Porcher                                     Brenda Potts                                               Susan and Thomas Potts
 Marcia Potter
 Vivian Purkhiser
 Marilyn Quackenbush
 Terry and Mary Quinn                                     Dr. Michael Radzinda
 Jennifer and Terry Ray
 Jane Bonine Reilly
 Helga Richards
 Family of Bette Ringuette
 Mary Charlotte Bonine Roberts
 Jim Rockhill                                             Terryl and Jean Rockwell
 Carol Ruggles
 Kathy Ruple
 Laura and Richard Rybka
 Kevin Ryder and Jim Firtz
 Dave and Laura Saleda
 Judy and Steve Saltzman
 Marshall Sanders and Dr. Sharon Simeon   Maurice W Sanders
 Christine Scelzo                                       Kathy Scheihagen
 Dick and Marilyn Schlimgen
 Gerald Schlundt
 Phyllis Schmuhl
 Daniel and Pamela Schuck
 Jean Schultz
 Mary Schultze                                           Larry Sehy
 Bonnie and Harry Shaffer
 Gary and Christine Shanafelt
 Michael and Julie Sheffieck
 Alice Shriner
 Rebecca Shriner                               Margaret Sluiter
 Donald and Jane Smirmiotes
 Warren and Melissa Smith
 Beverly and Mike Smith
 Sonja Smith
 Nancy Smith
 R Sonday                                                   David Sparks
 Carl and Dawn Sparks
 Sue Split                                                     Holly Stephenson
 BJ Stark
 Renae Suseland
 Ronald and Elena Sussman                   Gary Swain                                                 Tom Swartz and Jean Jourdan
 Kathleen Switalski
 Melodie Sykes
 Suzi Tankersley
 Kenneth Teague 
 Edna Thompson                                             Mark Thompson                                           Al and Mary Thrash                                 Davy Troxel
 Veta Tucker
 Deena Uzzell                                           Betsy Vanderburg
 Cathleen Vanderhoof 
 Tom and Jill Vihtelic
 Ted Vliek
 Lors and Eugene Wagner                         Lorna Wallin
 Jim and Laurel Ward
 Cynthia Ward
 Arlene and James Warren
 Dr. Von and Fran Washington                 Nancy Weaver                                         Randi Webb
 Kristine Widerquist-Bosler             Spurgeon and Deborah Wiggins
 Alice and Gary Williams                           Lora Bonine Wise
 Rose Mary Wood                                   Roberta Ann Woodruff
 Carol and Bob Wurster
 Thomas  Wurster
 Marny Wyant                                                 Toms and Marjorie Yarger
 Cindy Yawkey
 Floyd and Karen Yoder                   Katherine Yoder
 Beverly and Jack Young
 Bob and Cindy Ziliak

​Pleasant View Church of Christ
Chain Lake Missionary Baptist Church
Cassopolis Public Schools
Vandalia Church of God
Dowagiac Area History Museum
First Baptist Church of Vandalia
Cass County Historical Society
Schoolcraft Historical Society
St. Joseph County Historical Society

 We Thank Our URSCC Donors

(updated January, 2021)

McLoughlin Family Foundation

​Huizenga Foundation

Legacy 4H, Cassopolis

Michigan Architectural Foundation (Evans Award)

Michigan Humanities Council

MEC (Midwest Electric Co-Op)

​MI Gateway Community Foundation

Indiana Michigan Power (AEP)

Edward Lowe Community Foundation

​Dowagiac Rotary Foundation

100 Women Who Give​​

St. Joseph County History Society

St. Denys Foundation


Karen Alford                                          Dale and Martha Allen                       Orval and Myrtice Allison
Janyce Anderson                                Suzanne Anderson                                  Shirley Andrews
Ruth Andrews and Mike Slaski
Janine Archey
Steve and Christina Arseneau
Laura Ash
Candace and Oscar Azevedo
Carol and David Bainbridge
Ann Balfour                                        Stephen and Nancy Ball                  Sharon Barber
Fitz Barclay
Janette Batts
Brenda and Bill Beadenkopf
Nancy Beaudway
Jim and Paula Beitler                               Pat Bellaire
Butch Bender                                        Brenda Bergemann                              Jane Bergman
Jon and Julie Biek
Carol Bieneman
Janet Bilandic                                      Kathy and Doug Bingaman
JoAnn and Joe Blazak
James and June Blue
Larry Blyly
Joy Boddie                                                Bill Bonine                                                Donald Bonine                                            Dan and Stacey Bonine
James and Rosalie Bonine               
John Bonine
Neil Bonine
Fred and Shawn Bonine                              Chris Vanden Bossche                        Tracy Bosscher
Robert and Janet Bower                      Boyd Bowman                                        Earl and Lynne Breen                            Anco and Mark Broekhuizen              Judy Bronson
Joyce E. Brown
Judy Brown                                            Allen Butchbaker
Deann Buckhold
Gerry and Delia Bundle                      Robert and Connee Canfield
John Carlsbeek
Chris and Brynn Carey
Phyllis Boughton Carlson                  
Kaye Centers
Joyce Chambers
Grace and Dallas Chester
Danella Ciastko-Hester                          Ann and Dave Climer
Ralph and Barbara Cloud
Marilyn Cobb
Nancy and Kaye Coffel
Carol and Paul Collins
Larry Collins
Greg Connelly                                        Sally Jo Connor
Barbara Wood Cook
Ted and Candy Cooper
Donna Ruth Corcel
Anna Mae Coryell                              Susan Crabb                                              Larry and Joellyn Crandall                    Corey Crocker
Jessica Cropsey
Lois Cross-Hart
Nancy and Mark Crowl
Juanita Curtis                              Nimbilasha Cushing
Grace and Jim Darrow                       Susan Davis
Fred and Ann Dean
Tom and Lynn DeCrocker                  
Catherine Carter Deters
Stan and June Disher
Terry and Beverlie Ditsch
Lynda Doorlag
Pat Dryer
Robert and Jane Ducomb
John and Kay Dukesherer                      Sue and Dave Dunlap
Sarah and Anthony Efremoff            Louis Eason and Sandy Frank
Amy East                                                Emily Egan
Michael Eliasohn                                  Vickie Estep                                              Wayne Falda and Ann Tideman      Jessica and Chris Fedderson                 Jim and Kathy Felsenthal                    Robert and Kelli Fiala
Eleanore Flowers and Kendall Allen Betsy Floria
Norma Fokey
Mary Fosdick
Loree and Mark Frank                                Mike and Becky Frasier
Karl Freed
Marcia Gaskin
Larry and Janice Gates
Ann Gebhard
Meredith George                                        Nancy Gerber                                     Shelly East Gibson
John and Gwen Gildea
Burt Goens
Janice Goosens
Rudy Gourdine and Judy Ashley
Dr. Elmer Graber                                Belinda and Gary Gravit
Jerry and Becky Gray
Betsy Green
Marcia Gregg
Barbara Groner
Allen and Sheila Gropp
Barbara Guse
Twila Hackett
Angela Haggar                                        Butch and Glenyce Haggin
Ursula Gustav Haglund
Janet Hall
Mark Jak and Jack Halm                    Renee Lynn Hansen                      Marjorie Harding                                  Betty Harris
Keith Harrison
Glenda and Dean Hass
Bonnie Hauser
Jim and Pat Hayden
Kathryn Hayes                                        John and Carly Hayman
Sara Heinlein
Sue Heinrich                                     Andrea Henningsen                                   Dan and Jane Herman                              Deloris Herman                              Palemon Hernandez                              Jim Heuman
Charlene Hiemstra                            Stacey High
Elena Hines
Bill and Lael Hoerger
Mark Holdgrafer                            Lauraine Holycross
Sandra Hostetler                            Christopher Hughes 
Gary and Janet Huttenstine                  Gary Ivens
Barbara Jackson
Toni and Dave Janssen
Katherine Johnson
Gilbert M. Johnson
Rebecca Johnson                                  Duke and Andy Jones
Charles and Earline Jones
Cordell and Kay Jones
Maria Jones                                            Family and Friends of Maria Jones
Richard R. Jones II
Elodia Jones
Karen Judd
Mr and Mrs Richard Judd
Leonard Kanczuzewski
Thomas Karle
Marty and Steve Kaszar                    Rachel Kaufman
Phyllis Keller

URSCC DONORS

Everyone involved with URSCC is a volunteer, we have no paid staff.  To the contrary, our volunteers give of their time and often their money, with good will and good humor.  If volunteer hours were added up, we're over a million since our inception in 2009.  Great thanks goes to our Board of Directors-- Mike Moroz, Beverly Young, Cathy LaPointe, Nancy Neff,  Lin Pollard, Larry Sehy, Brenda and Bill Beadenkopf.   They have the reins of URSCC and along with the Committees, handle all aspects of the organization. They are responsible for our programs and events throughout the year-- Cass Co UGRR Wax Museum, Underground Railroad Days and Christmas at the Bonine House.

Great thanks to our docents, who show the Bonine House, Carriage House and Bogue House from June through September to thousands of visitors from all over the world.  We would not be here without our Board, our docents, our volunteers and our membership.  We rose from our community to tell the story of the Underground Railroad in Cass County, and to create focal points to tell the story in the Bonine House, Carriage House and Bogue House.  We are proud and humbled and cannot thank everyone involved on this journey enough.  It truly is an inspiration. 

                                                             
Special Thanks to...

Carol and Dave Bainbridge-- whose experience and expertise allowed URSCC to become a viable organization.

Tom Nehil, Nehil-Sivak Consulting Structural Engineers, and Blair Bates,  Building Restoration Inc.--
to put it simply, saved the Bonine House.  Thank you for allowing URSCC the opportunity to fulfill its mission and goals.

Dale Layman, Layman Construction--
took us under his wing and acted as general manager for the restoration of the Bonine House.   He did the heavy lifting and we're grateful.

Corey Crocker--
is skillfully restoring many areas and details of the Bonine House and Carriage House. His knowledge of historic preservation is vast and comes into play everywhere.

Cindy Yawkey--
affectionately known as "Radar" Cindy is ubiquitous and indispensible.  She is a docent and caretaker of the Bonine House and Carriage House.  She is an award winning artist and author whose three books on the UGRR in Cass County inform our story.  She is that go-to person with an infectious smile and spirit.   Cindy embodies the meaning of this endeavor.

Gary Weaver--
Gary, a Dowagiac artist, was very active in the early days of URSCC.  He was our first Bonine House Santa, and most importantly to all of us and generations to come, restored our beloved "Lucky" the Bonine House lion, that has stood sentinal from the 1870's.  Rub Lucky's nose for luck-- it really works!

Sara and Paul Lawson--
Sara was instrumental in creating the Bonine House Library, scanning and copying over 9,000 documents!  Sara and Paul scanned Estella Lawson's (Paul's mother) extensive research on Calvin Twp, and told the story of the Paul's family coming to Calvin Township in 1850. 

Zane and Stacy Lankford--
Zane is the caretaker for the Bonine House and Bogue House gardens, doing spring preparation and fall clean up.  Stacy photographed the vintage photos in the Calvin Twp album for display, as well as UGRR sites.

Mike Kidman--
restored our mid-1800's farm wagon in the Carriage House to look like those that carried freedom seekers along the Quaker Train of the UGRR.  Mike also created the photo board in the Carriage House.

Dave Morrison--
a James E. Bonine descendant, created the beatufiful Bonine Family Farm photo book on display and for sale in our office.  Dave also restored the Bonine Family photos in the Parlor.  He donated the case containing family photos and the Bonine and Bogue bibles in the Family Room, as well as donating family furntiture. 

Terry Burgess, Mary Fosdick and Belinda Gravit--
Santa, Mrs. Claus, and elf "Jingles" for Christmas at the Bonine House for many years, beloved by children of all ages : )

Jane Bonine Reilly--
6th gen descendant of James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine.  She inherited the Bonine family furniture and many artifacts, donating several pieces to URSCC.  We are grateful to Jane for bringing the Bonine furniture home.

Mary Charlotte Bonine Roberts--
gave us her memories of growing up in the Bonine House and wonderful Bonine family heirlooms and photos.  We are thrilled to be restoring her much loved childhood home.

And to Mary Anne Bonine, our first Bonine House angel--
who gave us our story, and literally put a roof over our heads. 

There are so many more volunteers who should be thanked here.  There have been so many who have done so 
much because they believed in our mission.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

URSCC Volunteers

We Appreciate the Support of These Organizations

​​AB2 Architecture
Nehil-Sivak Structural Engineers
D. Layman Construction Company
Building Restoration Inc.
Bender Electric
Rohdy Heating and Cooling
Roberts Quality Plumbing
Corey Crocker Restoration
Cripps Excavation
​Wright Way Lawn Service
Fiala & Smith
G. W. Jones Exchange Bank
​Nichols Flooring
​​MEC
AEP
​Quality Masonry

Smith’s Home Maintenance Service      Peach Mechanical
Bolt Laserworks
Elmer's Locksmith

​FCI Building
Dussel's Farm Market
Bullseye Construction
Monuments by Design
Hardings Supermarket
Cressy and Everett, Edwardsburg
Double M Painting Services
Preferred Printing
Creative Vinyl Signs
Joe Evans Plastering
Elk Park Feed Store
Porkys Party Place
R. J. Marketing
​​Modern Woodmen
Mike Kidman (wagon restoration)
Michael Keesler Construction              Loux and Hayden Realty
Bingaman Design
Atlanta Wood Trends

We Thank These Businesses for Their Financial  Support

and In-Kind Donations

GRANTS

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Underground Railroad Society

of Cass County, Michigan

urscc.org