In honor of Black History Month, FOX 17 toured three Underground Railroad sites in Southwest Michigan.
The tour covered two significant stops in Cass County and Schoolcraft.
The Bonine House in Vandalia was owned by James and Sarah Bonine, both Quakers. Cindy Yawkey, the head docent, highlighted the historical significance of the location. “It’s estimated that 1,500 freedom seekers came through this way,” she told FOX 17. She emphasized that these individuals were not criminals but rather people seeking their freedom.
The Bonine House served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, but the actual hiding place for the freedom seekers was located across the street in a white three-story carriage house built in 1850. Yawkey explained, “That is where he gave food, shelter and clothing to freedom seekers before they would go on to their next station.”
“The freedom seekers would climb in the bottom, and then the station master and a conductor. Then we’ll put boards on top and then bags of grain or straw.” Yawkey described the cramped conditions inside the wagon. Freedom seekers would have to lie in the wagon for 12 to 15 miles.