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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Underground Railroad was a network of people
3 offering shelter and aid to escaped enslaved people from the
4 South; and
5 WHEREAS, Most of the enslaved people helped by the
6 Underground Railroad escaped border states such as Kentucky,
7 Virginia, and Maryland; and
8 WHEREAS, Hiding places included private homes, churches,
9 and schoolhouses; and
10 WHEREAS, A former station on the Underground Railroad, the
11 Lovejoy Homestead, is located at the eastern edge of Princeton
12 and was the home of the Denham and Lovejoy families for nearly
13 100 years; and
14 WHEREAS, Reverend Lovejoy was its most famous resident and
15 occupied the house from 1838 until his death in 1864; he was
16 prominent in the abolition movement and the Underground
17 Railroad, a founder of the Illinois and national Republican
18 Party, and a congressional leader; and
19 WHEREAS, Reverend Lovejoy is perhaps best known for his
20 role in the Underground Railroad; as an outspoken
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1 abolitionist, he openly proclaimed his willingness to assist
2 fugitive slaves; his involvement made his house one of the
3 most important stations on the Underground Railroad in
4 Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, The Owen Lovejoy Home now belongs to the City of
6 Princeton and was opened as a museum in 1972; the United States
7 Secretary of the Interior declared the property a National
8 Historic Landmark in 1997; therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
10 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois
11 Department of Transportation to place road signs in the
12 vicinity of the Owen LoveJoy Homestead directing people to
13 this National Historic Landmark; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 delivered to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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