County Was a Hotbed for Underground Railroad

Beginning of article

Byline: Diana Dretske

In 1846, an anti-slavery society was formed in Lake County with Seth Paine of Lake Zurich as its president and Henry Blodgett of Waukegan as its treasurer.

Long before the Civil War began in 1861, abolitionists promoted the abolishment of slavery and aided escaped slaves in reaching freedom in the north. This secret network of people and safe houses was called the Underground Railroad. It was illegal to aid runaway slaves, but that didn't stop people from helping one another; it only meant that their activities had to be kept a secret and "underground."

Areas of active abolitionism and Underground Railroad activity in Lake County …