Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
- Title
- Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
- Description
- The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing is the site of a harrowing experience leading to the outbreak of the Civil War. An attempted river crossing by skiff, led by Mary Meachum on the night of May 20, 1855, ended disastrously as proslavery forces awaited everyone on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Some were arrested, including Mary, who was tried for attempting to free slaves. Mary and her husband, John Berry Meachum, were two former slaves whose freedom was purchased by John after he earned enough money to buy his freedom in Kentucky. These two emancipators made it their mission to continue free and educate former slaves as participants in the underground railroad.
- Creator
- Brian Thomas
- Semester
- Intro to Public History
- Subject
- Historic Marker Nominations
- Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
- Civil War
- Mary Meachum
- Emancipators
- Black Education
- John Berry
- Underground Railroad
- Slavery
- Freedom
- Racism
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- UMSL Digital Humanities Lab
- Date
- 2020
- Identifier
- Coordinates: 38.676, -90.191