MARSHALL, Mich. — It’s been nearly 180 years since the Crosswhite case left it’s mark on the City of Marshall, but it remains Museum Manager Patty Parker’s favorite piece of history to share.
Adam and Sarah Crosswhite were enslaved on a plantation in Kentucky, along with their four children. After learning their owner, Francis Giltner, planned to sell one of those kids, the Crosswhites fled north along the Underground Railroad.
The main route of the railroad followed what’s now known as Michigan Avenue, and the Crosswhites eventually made a stop in Marshall on their escape to freedom.
“When they got here, they stayed,” Parker said. “They were active in the church. They were active in businesses. They were very involved. Everybody seemed to know them.”…