The Chicago to Detroit Freedom Trail Project is looking to unearth the hidden history of the Underground Railroad in Northwest Indiana and is looking for potential contributors. The group looking to chronicle the journeys of freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad in Northwest Indiana. The Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project will meet Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 5 p.m. at Tiny’s Coffee Bar, in downtown Miller Beach.
Lakeshore Public Media host Dee Dotson speaks to Dr. Larry McClellan, a community activist who is also behind the Chicago to Detroit Freedom Trail Project and the development of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project. The group is spearheading the project that seeks to trace the path of the freedom seekers in Northwest Indiana, the South Side, the Chicago south suburbs, Elkhart, Goshen and South Bend.
To RSVP, contact Shepherd at tonfarmugrr@gmail.com or 773-370-3305. For more information, find the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project on Facebook.
About Dr. Larry McClellan - After graduate work at the University of Chicago, in 1970 Larry helped create Governors State University south of Chicago and served with the University for 30 years. He is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Community Studies. In the mid-70s, he was mayor of University Park (then Park Forest South). His work focuses on freedom seekers and the Underground Railroad, and on African American and regional history south of Chicago. Major publications include three books on the Underground Railroad. Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois, was released by Southern Illinois University Press in 2023. This received the 2023 Memorial Prize for the Advancement of Knowledge from the Underground Railroad Free Press. In 2022 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois State Historical Society for his contributions to history in Illinois. He currently serves on the Illinois Underground Railroad Task Force. He was the principal researcher for listings on the NPS Network to Freedom national register of Underground Railroad sites in Crete, Lockport, and Chicago. Some of his work will be found at >illinoisundergroundrailroad.info<. Larry currently serves as President of the Little Calumet River UGRR Project.
Larry McClellan, 3430 W. Oak Hill Drive, Crete, IL 60417 mcclellan.larry@gmail.com
