Miller Grove Program
Just got this news release from Shawnee Community College...

ULLIN — Shawnee Community College, the United States Forest Service, and Shawnee National Forest are joining together to sponsor a local history presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Shawnee Community College Main Campus Educational Center. The presenters include Marlene Rivero, Mary McCorvey, and Vicki Marlen.

The trio will focus on Miller’s Grove located in Southern Illinois. The program will begin at 9 a.m., with repeat programs at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. All three performances will be held and are open to local school districts, grades 4 through 8 and teachers. The 12:30 p.m. performance is open to the public.

For more information or to make reservations, please call Gae Morris at 1-800-481-2242, extension 3323 or 618-624-3323.

What the release didn't mention is that Miller Grove is the site of an early multi-racial community in northern Pope County. It was the scene of the Sides Robbery, an early kidnapping attempt that better remembered for the money the robbers stole.

It's also the site of the last resident slave emancipated in Illinois (as far as anybody can tell). That took place as late as 1854. The site of the settlement is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and has been the focus of several years' worth of archealogical excavations.