Coming this Fall 2004
Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw
The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Last Station on the Reverse Underground R.R.

Now Available
Gallatin County, Illinois, Slave & Emancipation Records, 1839-1849 - Buy it now! Gallatin County, Illinois, Slave & Emancipation Records, 1839-1849
John W. Allen's 1950 transcription of the now-missing second slave registry.

Handbook of Old Gallatin County and Southeastern Illinois - Buy it now! Handbook of Old Gallatin County & Southeastern Illinois
The must-have book for any southeastern Illinois genealogist or researcher.

 

Summer 2004 Newsletter
Quick Take: The Old Slave House remains closed. The legislature appropriated no money for the site in the budget passed late last month. Nothing new there. As of July 14, the Old Slave House has been nominated for the National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program. Part of the application is online and a comment period will soon begin on the NPS website. [However, as of August 1, the page hasn't been updated with the Old Slave House nomination]. The nomination follows a meeting with National Park Service officials and Jed Nelson, an staffer for U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (19th-Illinois) at his office in Springfield.

"More mysteries uncovered, more left to be solved" headlines this issue's cover story on some of the physical history of the house and the surrounding area. Part of the story focuses on the history of the Crenshaw/Lawler family cemetery northeast of the house. Two other articles detail the extent of John Hart Crenshaw's huge land holdings, including a map of his holdings around Hickory Hill, as well as a story on the "Old Slave House skull sold earlier this year on eBay. Once again, Open it NOW! calls on the state to adopt a public-private partnership to reopen the site.

 
 
Contents
  • Historic Slave House remains mothballed. It's old news, but it's the still the latest.
  • Meeting held with National Park Service. The meeting in May led to the nomination of the site for the NPS' Network to Freedom program last month and should lead to even more next year.
  • More mysteries uncovered, more left to be solved. This cover story outlines the physical history of the house and the surrounding area, including Hickory Hill cemetery.
  • So how much land did Crenshaw really own? That question remains unanswered, but it's at least some 15,000 acres. Story includes a map of the extent of Crenshaw's land holdings around the Old Slave House itself.
  • The Mystery of Old Slave House skull. It's not the title of a Nancy Drew novel, but rather the story behind a skull sold earlier this year on eBay.
  • Gallatin County slave records published. IllinoisHistory.com has recently published the second volume of slave and emancipation records transcribed by the late John W. Allen in 1949-1950. The book covers the years 1849-1850.
  • Open it NOW! calls for public-private partnership. Once again, Open it NOW! calls on the state to take action to reopen the Old Slave House.

    If you would like to be added to the notification list for updates on the status of the Old Slave House, send an e-mail to Jon Musgrave.

    NOTICE
    No part of this newsletter may be reprinted in any way without permission.

    However, other non-profit organizations are hereby given permission to republish parts of this newsletter in their own newsletters as long as they give credit to Open it NOW! Friends of the Old Slave House, or IllinoisHistory.com for the main cover story.

    Likewise, newspapers and other media outlets are also given permission to republish from the newsletter as they would any other news release.

    For more info contact Jon Musgrave at IllinoisHistory.com at (618)-964-1730 or jmusgrave@onecliq.net. Mail can be addressed to P.O. Box 1142, Marion IL 62959.

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