Underground Railroad Presentation & Reception

Event time: 5:30pm

The Racine Underground Railroad – 1850’s Freedom Trail Revisited

Professional Women’s Network for Service, Racine Heritage Museum, and the City of Racine present The Racine Underground Railroad – 1850’s Freedom Trail Revisited. Bring your family on Friday, March 24th at 5:30pm at the Racine Heritage Museum (701 Main Street) as our historians tell the Underground Railroad Story in Wisconsin.  Admission is free, and a reception will follow afterwards.

Between 1842 and 1861, more than 1,000 escaped slaves were helped to freedom in Canada by Wisconsin residents. But, because both the slaves and their helpers had to conceal their work, details of how fugitives passed through Wisconsin are scarce. The earliest escape recorded is that of 16-year- old Caroline Quarlls, who arrived in Milwaukee early August 1842 and was secretly helped by Wisconsin abolitionist into Canada. Wisconsin’s famous fugitive slave incident was the rescue of Joshua Glover who escaped from his owner in 1852 and made his way to Racine.  Joshua’s master found him two years later in Racine, and Glover was taken to the Milwaukee jail - but a crowd of anti-slavery demonstrators rescued him the next day.

For more information about PWNS and Racine Underground Railroad, visit www.pwnsinc.org and www.racineheritagemuseum.org, or contact 262-497-8872 and pwns@dls.net.   

Event Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1240595252703869/

Price: Admission is free, and a reception will follow afterwards.