BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, MANY CITIZENS HELPED
ESCAPING SLAVES NORTH WARD
THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD.
RAILROAD. ONE PERSON WAS DR. RICHARD EELS
WHOSE HOME IN QUINCY WAS
RECENTLY RESTORED.
IN 1839 ADAMS COUNTY ANTI SLAVERY SOCIETY WAS CHARTERED.
IT WAS THE FIRST SUCH
ORGANIZATION IN ILLINOIS.
DURING ITS EXISTENCE, IT WAS
CREDITED WITH ASSISTING OVER 200
ESCAPED SLAVES ON THEIR PATH TO
FREEDOM.
FREEDOM. THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THAT
SOCIETY WAS DR. RICHARD EELS.
THE HOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1835.
THIS IS THE SECOND OLDEST BRICK
HOUSE BUILT IN QUINCY, OLDEST
SURVIVING BRICK HOUSE.
>> ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
FROM QUINCY IS MISSOURI WHICH AT
THAT TIME WAS A SLAVE STATE.
ALTHOUGH ILLINOIS WAS A FREE
STATE, ASSISTING ESCAPING SLAVES
WAS ILLEGAL.
WAS ILLEGAL. IN AUGUST OF 1842, A RUN AWAY
SLAVE FROM MONTICELLO MISSOURI,
NAMED CHARLIE, CROSSED THE
RIVER, PROBABLY SCARED TO DEATH,
AND ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WOUND
UP AT THE BACK DOOR OF DR. EELS'
RIGHT HERE IN THIS HOUSE.
>> DURING THE RENOVATION OF THE
HOME, THE ORIGINAL BACK DOOR
STOOP WAS UNCOVERED.
TODAY, VISITORS CAN STAND OVER
THE SAME SPOT WHERE CHARLIE
WAITED FOR THE NEXT LEG OF HIS
JOURNEY.
JOURNEY. >> THE WHOLE IDEA WAS GETTING
FROM THIS PLACE AS FAR AWAY FROM
THE RIVER AS POSSIBLE.
GOT ON THE CARRIAGE AND ON THE
WAY TO MISSION INSTITUTE WHICH
IS ON 24TH STREET.
THAT'S 20 BLOCKS FROM HERE.
AT THAT TIME THAT WAS OUT IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> BUT DURING THE ESCAPE, A
POSSE SEARCHING FOR THE SLAVE
STOPPED AT DR. EELS'S WAGON.
CHARLIE RAN BUT WAS LATER
CAPTURED. TWO DAYS AFTER IN THE
EVENT IN PARLOR OF HIS HOME,
DR. EELS WAS ARRESTED.
>>FROM THERE, IT WENT TO THE
COURT, AND THE CIRCUIT JUDGE AT
THAT TIME WAS STEPHEN DOUGLAS,
AND DOUGLAS FOUND HIM GUILTY AND
FINED HIM $400.
>> EVENTUALLY THE APPEAL PROCESS
LANDED AT THE ILLINOIS SUPREME
COURT WHERE THE VERED WAS
UPHELD.
UPHELD. >> IN 1846, DR. EELS DIED, BUT
HIS CASE WAS CARRIED ON. IN THE
EARLY 1850'S, THE CASE WENT TO
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT.
>>REPRESENTING DR. EELS' CASE
WERE WILLIAM SUE ARD AND SAUL
MON CHASE, BOTH FUTURE MEMBERS
OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S CABINET.
ONCE AGAIN, THE VERED WAS
UPHELD.
UPHELD. >> ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS DID
VERY GOOD RESEARCH AND FIND
MICROFICHE COPY OF THE NEWS
REPORT ON THIS CASE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THIS IT THAT
SURPRISES ME, AT THE END, WHEN
WE MIGHT THINK EVERYBODY IN
ILLINOIS AND EVERYBODY IN QUINCY
WOULD BE ANTI SLAVERY AND WANTED
TO HELP THE POOR RUN AWAY SLAVE,
THE END OF THE ARTICLE IT SAYS
WHY CAN'T THESE ABOLITION ISTS
MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS, AND LET
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF MISSOURI TAKE
CARE OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WE
CAN ALL GET ALONG THAT WAY.
>> AFTER EXTENSIVE RENOVATION,
THE HOME HAS BEEN RETURNED TO
ITS 1835 APPEARANCE.
>> UP IN THE MASTER BEDROOM AND
BACK BEHIND A COUPLE OF TWO BY
FOURS WE FOUND STRIPS OF
ORIGINAL WALLPAPER.
ORIGINAL WALLPAPER. FROM THAT, WE HAD IT REPRODUCED
AND SO THE DR. EELS' BEDROOM IS
PAPERED WITH THIS YELLOW AND
FLOWER RY PAPER.
>>TODAY, THE HOME STANDS AS A
REMINDER OF ONE MAN'S
CONVICTIONS.
CONVICTIONS. >> IT IS A NOBLE GREAT STORY
THAT TWO NOBLE GENTLEMEN, ONE
WAS RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE AND
SEEKING WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS,
INHERENTLY IS FREEDOM.
HE TOOK GREAT RISKS TO DO THAT,
AND THERE WAS ANOTHER SIDE OF
THE STORY WHERE A GENTLEMAN WHO
HAD A COMFORTABLE MIDDLE CLASS
LIFE, LIVED IN VERY NICE HOME,
AND WITH HIS CHURCH BELIEFS AND
HEART BELIEFS, HE RISKED
EVERYTHING AND WENT OUT ON THE
LIMB AND TRIED TO HELP THIS
GENTLEMAN.
GENTLEMAN. IT IS A GREAT STORY.
IT IS A GREAT AMERICAN STORY.
FOR DATES AND TIMES THAT DR. RICHARD EELS HOME IS OPEN
CALL (217)223-1800.