Underground Railroad Days take place July 9-10 in and around Vandalia

Tribune Staff Report
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The Bonine House, at the corner of Penn Road and M-60, in Cass County, was the home of Underground Railroad stationmasters James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine. It and other sites in and near Vandalia will be part of the Underground Railroad Days event scheduled for July 9 and 10, 2022.
The Bonine House, at the corner of Penn Road and M-60, in Cass County, was the home of Underground Railroad stationmasters James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine. It and other sites in and near Vandalia will be part of the Underground Railroad Days event scheduled for July 9 and 10, 2022.

VANDALIA — The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) and the Village of Vandalia present Underground Railroad Days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 9 and 10.

This annual festival celebrates the legacy of the Underground Railroad in Cass County, particularly the area around Vandalia — Calvin, Porter and Penn Townships, known as “Youngs Prairie” at the time.

The UGRR existed in this area from 1830 to 1860 and it is estimated about 1,500 fugitive slaves (called freedom seekers now) passed through this area on their way to Canada. Many stayed for a time and worked on Quaker farms. They were targets of the infamous 1847 Kentucky Slave Raid.

The Village of Vandalia sponsors arts and crafts booths and a community church service on Sunday morning on the Village grounds.

URSCC activities include guided tours of Kentucky Raid sites, UGRR-related displays and presentations at 1 and 3 p.m. in the Vandalia Youth Center, a living history encampment of the Civil War presented by the 102nd US Colored Troops, and all-day music at the Ramptown Cabin in Milo Barnes Park.

Three historic sites related to the Underground Railroad will be open for tours: The James E. Bonine House, the Bonine Carriage House and the Stephen and Hannah Bogue House.

Admission is free.

For more information, visit urscc.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Underground Railroad Days take place July 9-10 in and around Vandalia