Due to its geographical location near Canada, Michigan territory was a much desired destination for fugitive slaves seeking freedom. Quakers, who were opposed to slavery, also found the territory hospitable. The Underground Railroad network in Cass County, Michigan was operated by a close knit community of Quakers, who provided assistance to fugitives in route to Canada as well as refuge to fugitives who wanted to settle in Cass County. Many fugitives remained in Cass County and joined with free African American settlers to establish vibrant rural black communities modeled after Quaker communities. The black settlements in Cass County were established long before the mass exodus of blacks from the South to urban cities in the North after the Civil War. The stories of the Quaker abolitionists and the fugitive and free black settlers persist in legends and local history in Cass County today. The Free Soil Sightseeing Bus Tour commemorates this history and the legacies of this ante-bellum interracial collaboration.
Visitor Information: Currently open to public.
Location: 18031 Fuller, P.O. Box 271, Vandalia, 49095
National Park Unit: No
Ownership: Sondra Mose-Ursery
Location Type: Program