Underground Railroad in Terre Haute

Terre Haute was one of the many stops of the Underground Railroad that slaves made on their way to freedom in the North. It was estimated in the Saturday Spector that each year between 1830 and 1850 about 2,000 slaves came through the Wabash Valley on their way to other Northern states or Canada. Once the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, many slaves had to go as far as Canada because the act allowed slaves to be hunted down and taken back to their masters in Northern states. The Wabash Valley route was actually considered so dangerous that if the slaves made it to Terre Haute, they were said to be 9/10 free.

Today, there are five known stops of the Underground Railroad in Terre Haute. The first stop was the home of Nell Fillbook Steele. The two story home was located two miles south of where US 41 is today, coming from Evansville. The home was set against a hill with a short stairway that led to the secret rooms where the slaves were hid. The home was destroyed in 1939 by a fire. The second stop was the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church which was located at the corner of what is now 1st and Crawford Street. The church had a tunnel underneath it that led to the Wabash River. The church was built in 1839 and was the only church for black in Terre Haute at the time. The church burnt down in 1913 when it was struck by lightning, but some of the pews were salvaged and placed in the current Allen Chapel on the corner of 3rd and Crawford Street.

The next stop was said to be the Preston House located at Poplar and 13 1/2 Street. It was built in 1832 by George Dewees. The house supposedly had tunnels leading from the basement. There is a legend that the house was haunted, because of a cave in inside of the tunnels that killed a group of slaves. As other sites of the Underground Railroad the Preston House is also no longer in existence.The next stop was the Anderson home on Haythore Avenue on the east side of Terre Haute. It has been said that Anderson would transport fugitives in a two horse wagon to Markle Mill. It has never been proven that Markle Mill was part of the Underground Railroad, but most places were secret so we may never know. It is a logical place to have as the last stop, because it is on the way to Parke County where the slaves would be taken next.