National Park Service
Network to Freedom
Sites in Cairo
NETWORK TO FREEDOM DESCRIPTION:
Address: 12th and Cedar and Jefferson Ave. Cairo, Illinois 62914
Year Designated: 2024
Open to the Public: Yes
Description: During the Civil War, the Contraband Camp in Cairo, Illinois, served as a destination and doorway for thousands of freedom seekers who escaped enslavement from 1861 to 1865. Nestled in the delta at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, freedom seekers had historically seen the river town as a staging point to acquire their freedom further north. As the Civil War intensified, migration to Cairo came by escape through the Underground Railroad, by military contraband camps, or on the contraband train after the battle of Shiloh. The contraband camp served as a military recruitment center for freedom seekers to enlist with the U.S. army and for others to find paid jobs to support their family. By 1863, the Contraband Camp established housing, a hospital and school to support thousands of refugees who sought freedom during the war.
The camp at Cairo activated the work of many abolitionists, including Marie Renfro and Laura Haviland, as well as the collaboration of the African Methodist Church to provide support for the overwhelming numbers of refugees. Although very little remains of the contraband camp that was a beacon of freedom for so many refugees during the Civil War, the site of the camp remains a landmark that commemorates the lives of thousands of freedom seekers making a way out of no way.
In August, 2024, TCHPP installed a temporary marker at the location. A permanent commemorative marker and monument will eventually be placed here highlighting the location of Cairo's Civil War contraband camp. The National Park Service recognized this spot as part of the program that honors, preserves, and promotes the history of the Underground Railroad. Special thanks to the Alexander County Housing Authority for their partnership in clearing space for this site on the former McBride/Pyramid Court property.
2. 1856 Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot
NETWORK TO FREEDOM DESCRIPTION:
Address: Lot at western corner of Ohio Street and Second Street Cairo, Illinois 62914
Year Designated: 2024
Open to the Public: Yes
Description: The site of the Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot at the southwest corner of Ohio Street and Second Street in Cairo, Illinois, was a rapid escape route for freedom seekers before and during the Civil War.
The addition of the southernmost depot on the Illinois Central increased its appeal as a destination for freedom seekers, offering new opportunities for direct and rapid travel north over land.
Many freedom seekers secreted themselves on board train cars and others were directly assisted by the free Black residents of Cairo and employees of the Illinois Central.
Recognition of the location of the 1856 Illinois Central Railroad passenger depot on 2nd and Ohio (red arrow) was spearheaded by Nan Wakefield with the National Park Service, and TCHPP was honored to be a contributor to this project.
The depot site is located just across the street from the famous Halliday (Cairo) Hotel that hosted dignitaries from around the world before burning down in the 1940s. Now owned by Waterfront Services Co., the company desires to be an active partner in developing proper recognition of this historical site.