Erastus Hussey came to Michigan from New York State in 1824, purchased land in Wayne County, and after a return to New York, he and his wife Sarah bought a building in Battle Creek in 1839 for their dry goods store and residence. As Quakers with strong antislavery beliefs, the Husseys made their home the Battle Creek station of the Underground Railroad in 1840, and Hussey was aided by fugitives such as Samuel Strother, who settled there after escaping slavery. A Free-Soiler, Hussey served in both houses of the state legislature in the 1850s and attended the July 6, 1854, “Under the Oaks” convention in Jackson where the Republican party was founded. In an 1885 interview, Hussey recalled Battle Creek’s role on the Central Michigan route of the Underground Railroad, which ran from Cass County through communities including Climax, Battle Creek, Marshall, Albion, Grass Lake, Ann Arbor, and Plymouth to Detroit, with stations every twelve to fifteen miles. He said that he had fed and protected more than 1,000 fugitives and helped them continue to Canada, and that no stationmasters were paid because they were working for humanity.