The Underground Railroad

Before the Civil War, Vandalia stood at the junction of two important lines of the Underground Railroad. Enslaved people fleeing through Indiana and Illinois came to Cass County, where Quakers and others sheltered them. Those seeking refuge in Canada were guided eastward to stations, while many remained here and built a unique Negro rural colony. Slave-hunting by Kentuckians in 1847 led to legal action and increased North-South tensions.

Vandalia, Michigan · United States