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Date: | Fri, 27 Jun 2003 10:09:34 -0400 |
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The research I did in southern Illinois with the Forest Service and others
we discovered that those aiding escaping slaves used more natural hiding
places rather than risking building anything. Southern Illinois unlike New
England was very pro-slavery as a rule, so anyone helping was putting
themself at risk in addition to the runaway.
We found accounts from those who made it to Canada stating they used caves,
farm fields, etc. "Tunnels" found in Cairo, IL turned out to be storehouses
for goods traveling up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. I am sure
that slaves would utilize these and other hiding places until they could get
somewhere safe. Just because it was built as something else, doesn't mean it
couldn't be used by desperate people.
Elizabeth L. Fuller
Archaeologist/Project Manager
Brockington and Associates, Inc.
6611 Bay Circle, Suite 220
Norcross, Georgia 30071
(770) 662-5807 Ext. 30
(770) 662-5824 FAX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Duncan Kinder" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: UGRR tunnels
> "When you look at the history of the Underground Railroad, one big
> question arises: How would someone build a "covert" tunnel along a
> heavily-traveled river and dispose of that much dirt in a close-knit
> rural community? The short answer is that it ain't gonna happen."
>
>
> The longer answer may be that all members of the local community were
> Quakers or otherwise inclined to cooperate.
>
> During WWII, prisoners seeking to escape from POW camps dug tunnels under
> far more adverse circumstances. So it would not have been impossible.
>
>
> Duncan C. Kinder
> [log in to unmask]
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