The Underground Railroad was the passage to freedom for fleeing slaves. Its secret and unmapped routes wound throughout the Midwest toward Detroit, known as "Midnight" by those seeking safe haven. Cass County in southwestern Michigan was the home of white sympathizers with the Abolitionist movement who helped freed slaves to emigrate to Canada or to settle in the county. North Berrien was a "terminal" of the underground railroad, and historic Vandalia is home to several locations and homes were slaves were offered shelter.
According to the Library of Congress' Local Legacies Website, the Carriage House in Vandalia served as a terminal on the Underground Railroad to shelter fugitive slaves. This house was built in the 1840's, now Vandalia officials and South Bend historians are working together to preserve this site and others used by Quaker abolitionists in Cass County Michigan.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW. I WILL BE ADDING TO THIS PAGE AS I FIND MORE INFORMATION TO BE ENTERED AS THERE IS TONS OF INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT THIS PIECE OF OUR HISTORY. I WILL DO MY BEST TO PROVIDE ACURATE INFORMATION AS I FIND IT AND ALSO LINKS TO MORE WEBSITES PERTAINING TO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. Take me there....
