Old Slave House Gets Landmark Status

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 20, 2004 4:08PM

Hickory Hill, better known as Old Slave House, in southeast Illinois near the town of Equality is now recognized as a historic landmark.

Jon Musgrave, an Old Slave House supporter and researcher, says the National Underground Railroad Network of Freedom program has recognized the historic mansion because it was a place where free black people were often kidnapped and sold back into slavery - pretty much a reverse underground railroad.

The house is a reminder of our sometimes embarassing past. The third floor of the mansion is lined with cells that were used to hold slaves. When the house was owned by John Crenshaw, a salt baron and reputed slave trader, in the early and mid-1800s, Crenshaw would find freed black slaves, imprison them, and then sell them back into slavery. Because the third floor was where the slaves were kept it's thought to be haunted with memories of the old captives.

Until the late 1990s the house was a tourist destination. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency bought the house in 2000 but did not have state funds to keep the site open. With this historic national recognition, Musgrave says he hopes the state will be able to open the mansion's doors to the public again.

So.. haunted house season.. aka Halloween.. is just around the corner.. Who's down for a roadtrip!?