JACKSONVILLE'S
HISTORIC
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ASA TALCOTT HOME
|
JACKSONVILLE'S
HISTORIC
ASA TALCOTT HOME |
 |
The Asa Talcott home is located
at 859 Grove Street. February 1844 a slave fleeing from his pursuers was
helped by Illinois College students. The fugitive was found hiding in the
Negro community, an area of Jacksonville called Africa, which was made
up of former slaves and free Negroes. As news of the search spread, he
was quickly hustled out of the Negro houses, across a ropewalk to a hiding
place in the hay of Asa Talcott's barn.
Asa and Maria Talcott were founding members of the Congregational Church and were anti-slavery in their beliefs. This home located at 859 Grove Street was built in parts beginning in 1833 and was added onto in 1844 and 1861. Benjamin Henderson, a free black man and important conductor of the UGRR, reported that Asa Talcott was among those he could count on for help when he needed supplies for the fugitives. Asa Talcott was a brick layer and plasterer and it was reported that he provided refuge for runaways in his barn. |
Underground Railroad Committee
of the
Morgan County Historical Society
| Loreli Steuer & Jim Murphy, Co-Chairmen
Liddy Stark & Gary Morris, Co-Vice-Chairmen Kristan Becker Hoffman, Treasurer Mary Hathaway, Secretary Art Wilson & Abbie Templin, Founding Directors |
1463 Gierke Lane
Jacksonville, IL 62650 217-243-3755 1-800-593-5678 |
e-mail: UGRR@woodlawnfarm.com website: www.woodlawnfarm.com / www.undergroundrailroadcommittee.org
