Illinois' Old State Capitol receives Underground Railroad honor

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·1 min read
A statue of Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, outside the Old State Capitol.
A statue of Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, outside the Old State Capitol.

On Thursday, the Old State Capitol in Springfield became a member site of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network of Freedom — joining the more than 700 programs in the nationwide group.

One of 17 new listings, the former Capitol's connection to the Underground Railroad dates back to when the Adams Street building served as home of the Illinois Supreme Court between 1841 and 1872. There, several cases were heard from both those seeking freedom and their helpers within Illinois’ Underground Railroad.

One such case involved a Sangamon County constable's wrongful arrest of a Black man named Hempstead Thornton, believing Thornton to be a fugitive slave. However, with insufficient evidence from the constable, the court dropped the charges against Thornton.

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Remembering moments like these are important to confront inequity in the modern day, said Old State Capitol site superintendent Justin Blandford in a released statement.

“The bravery of freedom seekers and their allies inspired us to nominate the Old State Capitol for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom,” he said. “Joining the Network is part of our ongoing effort to uplift more voices in history and share a more rich and accurate picture of the past.”

The Old State Capitol is also famously home to President Abraham Lincoln's "House Divided" speech delivered during the 1858 Illinois Republican State Convention.

The National Underground Railroad Network of Freedom was created in 1998 and works to enshrine the legacies of enslaved people resisting slavery through escaping and flight.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Old State Capitol in Springfield listed as Underground Railroad site