A new mural by Western Illinois University Art Professor Emeritus Michael Mahoney that showcases McDonough County's place in the history of the Underground Railroad will be unveiled at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Thomas C. Carper Amtrak Station in Macomb.
Mahoney, who was commissioned for the piece, has been working on the mural for approximately six months: from research to design to sketching to painting. An Illinois leg of the Underground Railroad ran directly through McDonough County, with the two most prominent 'station masters' and 'conductors' being members of the Allison and Blazer families.
Mahoney has used the written accounts/recollections of the late David N. Blazer, who was the son of UGRR 'conductor' and 'station master' James Blazer, in addition to his own research and that of other UGRR archivists, to compose the sketches that have been painted on five eight-foot Masonite (aka hardboard) panels, which cover the walls of the space formerly known as the 'taxi stand' in the station's interior southeast corner.
The tryptic (three parts) showcase the bravery of the freedom seekers and those who helped them, Mahoney shared. The art features illustrations of escaping slaves, the men who helped, historic landmarks such as the Allison and Blazer homes and Quincy saw mill, wagon trails, the Mississippi River railroad tracks and breaking chains.
'Finding the composition is hard work, but it's gratifying when it comes together,' he added. 'The images in the Underground Railroad mural convey the importance of this time in our nation's history and remind us of the struggle of those brave men and women who were seeking freedom.'
The design was approved by the funding agency, 'Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition,' the coordinating entity for the National Park Service's (NPS) Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.
The project total is $9,700, covered by an NPS grant of $4,850, with a matching grant from Visit Unforgettable Forgottonia. The matching funds have been used for research and the writing of the narrative for the next application for the National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, conducted for the Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau by Elisha Szyjka, a grant writer for the MACVB. The Network to Freedom Program honors and promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, advancing the enduring idea that all people have the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression. McDonough County’s documented Underground Railroad sites—including Station No. 3 of the Quincy Line—have already been recognized by the program thanks to ongoing research led by the MACVB with assistance from Szyjka, Timothy Roberts, Western Illinois University Department of History chair and graduate assistant Abby Troxell-Skaggs.
The UGRR that extended through McDonough County ('Station No. 3') originated in Quincy, which was considered 'Station No. 1,' with 'Station No.
2' located at Round Prairie in Hancock County at the Pettyjohn or Burton Home, according to Blazer's writings. 'Station No. 3' was generally at the home of one of the Blazers on Camp Creek in Industry Township or the home of Billy Allison or one of his sons, Harmon, George and Andrew, at Troublesome Creek in Chalmers and Scotland townships. 'Station No. 4' was the home of Henry Dobbins in Fulton County where freedom seekers went on to Galesburg, Princeton and Canada.
It was Mahoney's 'The Legacy of the Rev. Dr.
C.T. Vivian' mural on the northeast side of the square, also commissioned by Visit Unforgettable Forgottonia (dba Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau/ MACVB), that brought MACVB Executive Director Jock Hedblade back to Mahoney for the UGRR tribute.
'For well over a year, we worked with the National Park Service to secure this county's status as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom area. We wanted to bring attention to this special recognition and tell the story to the public.
When we decided one of the ways we could do this was through a mural, I knew immediately who I wanted to do it,' Hedblade said. '
To be a part of telling the incredible story of these courageous freedom seekers and the area's families that helped facilitate their passage while underscoring the vital role that Forgottonia's McDonough County played in the cause has been both an honor and a humbling experience. We must thank our supporters at Looking for Lincoln and the City of Macomb, and of course Michael Mahoney, who we knew would bring the same combination of artistry, pathos and brilliance as he did on the C.T. Vivian mural on which we last partnered.'
