SR0709 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0709 LRB102 22615 MST 31758 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Underground Railroad was a network of people offering shelter and aid to escaped enslaved people from the South; and

WHEREAS, Most of the enslaved people helped by the Underground Railroad escaped border states such as Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland; and

WHEREAS, Hiding places included private homes, churches, and schoolhouses; and

WHEREAS, A former station on the Underground Railroad, the Lovejoy Homestead, is located at the eastern edge of Princeton and was the home of the Denham and Lovejoy families for nearly 100 years; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Lovejoy was its most famous resident and occupied the house from 1838 until his death in 1864; he was prominent in the abolition movement and the Underground Railroad, a founder of the Illinois and national Republican Party, and a congressional leader; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Lovejoy is perhaps best known for his role in the Underground Railroad; as an outspoken abolitionist, he openly proclaimed his willingness to assist fugitive slaves; his involvement made his house one of the most important stations on the Underground Railroad in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Owen Lovejoy Home now belongs to the City of Princeton and was opened as a museum in 1972; the United States Secretary of the Interior declared the property a National Historic Landmark in 1997; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois Department of Transportation to place road signs in the vicinity of the Owen LoveJoy Homestead directing people to this National Historic Landmark; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Department of Transportation.