Tammy L. Goss
ENG 110
Research Paper
Clinton, Iowa: One Stop on the Freedom Train
“I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person… There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and I felt like I was in Heaven.” Harriet Tubman uttered these words when she arrived in Pennsylvania, a free woman at last (National Geographic). Years later, when talking about the reasons she ran away, Ms. Tubman would state, “[There are] two things I [have] a right to and these are Death and Liberty. One or the other I mean to have. No one will take me back alive” (America’s Civil War, 42). While most research on the Underground Railroad focuses on the northern states, the state of Iowa played an essential role in the Railroad. Clinton, Iowa was often a runaway’s last stop before crossing the Mighty Mississippi River.
The first documentation of the name Underground Railroad is from the year 1831 and in one case, attributed to the owner of a former slave, Tice David. David successfully gained freedom by traversing along small creeks, rivers, and dense woods and his owner finally gave up searching for him. Upon returning to Kentucky, Tice David’s former slave-owner announced, “He must have gone on an underground road” (America’s Civil War, 42). Another name given to the Underground Railroad was the Freedom Train (National Underground Railroad Freedom Center) and Harriet Tubman was inarguably one of the most famous conductors on this train, leading thousands of slaves to their freedom in the north.
Since the formation of the Iowa Territory, the largest population group, settling in what would become Iowa, came from southern states. Because of this, early historians assumed that Iowa would take a pro-slavery stance (History of Clinton County, 54). At the first Constitutional Convention in 1844, there was consideration given to excluding African-Americans from living in Iowa but this could have had a negative effect on its bid for statehood. In 1850, representatives of Clinton County tried to introduce the bill again. Both houses opposed it, but eventually the bill passed and the governor signed it. However, there was an important stipulation to the bill; it could only go into effect after it was published in the newspapers; Iowa City Reporter and the Iowa Freeman of Mt. Pleasant. Fortunately, the Freeman refused to publish it, thus effectively stopping the bill from becoming law (History of Clinton County, 54). Nevertheless, there was another legal move to block runaway slaves from achieving freedom, this time from the United States Government. Before the Federal Government passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, slaves felt safe if they could run away to a free state. However, after this law went into effect slave catchers everywhere hunted them. The Fugitive Slave Act brought the problem of slavery to “Iowa’s doorstep” (History of Clinton County, 54).
People protested against the Fugitive Slave Act by providing assistance, either directly or indirectly, to runaway slaves. “Nearly 100 Iowans flouted the law and some judges ignored it” (History of Clinton County, 55). However, few Clinton County residents could actively participate in the dangerous and illegal work of the Underground Railroad. Most of the citizens gave money, shelter, and supplies, but were not willing to take the risks active participation would expose themselves, and their families, to. In addition, Clinton had the added problems of a larger population and a resident federal marshal, which made the likelihood of discovery even more possible than in other Iowa towns (History of Clinton County, 55). This did not stop prominent Clinton residents such as “Black Bill” Watts, Andrew Bather, Charles Leonard, John C. Weston, and C. B. Campbell from being active conductors in the Underground Railroad or from operating safe houses. Religious communities such as the Progressive Society of Friends, or Quakers, also helped give aid and comfort to the runaways. Both the Hicksite segment and the Gurneyites dedicated themselves to fighting slavery as well as alcohol, war, tobacco, and inequality of men and women (History of Clinton County, 224). Many members of these groups fought against slavery politically as well as being conductors of the Underground Railroad. “One of the tenets of the church was that slavery was a violation of the rights of man and laws of God” (History of Clinton County, 224). At least twenty-two of the Quakers stood up for their beliefs by serving in the Union Army. Of these, four men were killed in action and three were wounded and maimed for life.
Most of the slaves that these men died for came from Nebraska and Missouri and entered Iowa in southwestern Iowa. Tabor, Iowa was one of the first stations of the hidden path, which winded its secret way through Iowa. The entire town of Tabor was sympathetic to the plight of the runaway slaves and the population was sparse enough to avoid detection. When the fugitives arrived in Tabor, they would hide in safe, or liberty houses. The conductors were individual citizens who spirited them away hidden in wagons, freight cars or helped them travel by foot to the next station. They traveled from Tabor to Des Moines, through Grinnell on to Iowa City, then through West Liberty, DeWitt, Low Moor, and finally Clinton or Camanche. Clinton, DeWitt, and Low Moor, all in Clinton County, were considered three of the strongest points along the Underground Railroad system and were located on this highway toward freedom. It is in Clinton and Camanche where the runaways were spirited across the Mississippi River, on their way to Canada. In this eastern part of the state, Underground Railroading required great care and extreme precaution in order to avoid detection, but the conductors resorted to ingenious means for moving the passengers toward freedom. One occasion,
“John Brown was able to secure railroad passage for his band of fugitives. Through the good offices of William Penn Clarke, of Iowa City, and J. B. Grinnell, a boxcar was obtained and held in readiness at West Liberty. The fugitives were then dispatched to this place from Springdale and, after spending the night in Keith’s Mill (an old gristmill near the station), were loaded into the empty freight car. The car was then attached to a train bound for Chicago on the Rock Island Railroad. At Chicago the famous detective, Allen Pinkerton, took the party in charge and dispatched it to Detroit” (Clinton History.com).
In 1850, There were 33 African-Americans in Iowa, 20 of them in Clinton County. By the 1856 census, there were 271 African-Americans in Iowa. One of them, a former slave from Missouri, “Black Bill” Watts (Clinton History.com), had earned his, and his family’s freedom, and were residing along the banks of the Mississippi River in Camanche, Iowa. Mr. Watts, along with a white citizen named Horace Anthony, was instrumental in helping a large number of runaways cross the river in his small boat. Mr. Watts and his family dedicated their lives to helping other slaves achieve the freedom they enjoyed. Watts and Anthony were very successful at hiding and transporting fugitives into Illinois and surprisingly, they worked completely undetected. Another successful conductor, Andrew Bather, hid runaways in plain sight. His home and store were located on 13th Avenue South and were in the middle of what is now downtown Clinton. The large number of greenhouses he had made his home extremely visible, but that did not deter him. “When the alarm was given that federal officers were in the neighborhood, Bather led the slaves out into the surrounding corn fields until the danger had passed” (History of Clinton County, 55). He hid them in a cave cellar, his store, and his home, which contained many secret compartments. Andrew Bather was an agent on this railroad from 1859 – 83 and was assisted by his brother John, Hugh Leslie, and Charles Leonard. Mr. Leonard was the owner and founder of the newspaper Clinton Herald and was the father of the famous actress, Lillian Russell (Clinton: A Pictorial History, 18). Mr. Leslie was a partner in the Clinton Herald and a noted local and county politician who was instrumental in persuading people to join the cause of the Underground Railroad (Clinton: A Pictorial History, 19).
Even today, there are several of these depots still standing in Clinton, giving tribute to the strength and courage of the conductors of the most famous railroad of all time. To enter one of these homes is an inspiring experience and gives unique insight into the families that participated in the Railroad. The “Old Stone House” on Bluff Boulevard, built in 1836 and still standing, is well known as one such home. If invited to a tour by the current owner, one can see the dim passageways and tiny rooms the slaves hid. Andrew Bather’s home still stands on what is now known as Camanche Avenue, though unfortunately his stores and many greenhouses have long since been torn down. The John C. Weston mansions had so many rooms, that a federal marshal could not have thoroughly searched all of the rooms, let alone have discovered the secret rooms in which the slaves hid. This home still majestically stands as a private residence on Tenth Avenue South (Clinton: A Pictorial History, 19). There are also a significant number of homes in Clinton that contain secret rooms. Folklore states they were all part of the Underground Railroad, though no documentation exists to substantiate these stories. "In 1976, a barn owned by Dr. H. F. Kaack Jr. on West Main Avenue was found to have a secret room, 8x15x6 feet. It is entered from a tiny tool room through a long-unused crawlway. Local Stories have always said such a place in the area was used in the Underground Railroad” (History of Clinton County, 54), though again, no written documentation can be found.
John C. Weston was another chief promoter of the Underground Railroad. Mr. Weston was an influential millionaire in Clinton and served, along with Andrew Bather, as one of the town’s strongest conductors. A note sent to C. B. Campbell, also of Clinton, notified Mr. Campbell of two fugitives coming his way,
Mr. C. B. C.:
Dear Sir--By tomorrow evening’s mail, you will receive two volumes of the “Irressible (sic) Conflict” bound in black. After perusal, please forward, and oblige.
Yours truly, W.
(Clinton History.com)
When the fugitives arrived in Clinton, Mr. Campbell sought a place for them to stay. Quite frequently, he would secrete them in the attic of his home, or in a small building near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Second Street. On other occasion, fugitives hid in a cellar cave, in a garden belonging to Andrew Bather, or in the garret of his home until the next train was ready to start. It happened at one time that two fugitive slaves, a man and his wife, were being concealed in this garret when a message was received from DeWitt that slave catchers were in hot pursuit. It was thought that the garret was under observation by marshals and it was deemed best to have a “flitting”, or flight, across the Mississippi River, as soon as possible (Clinton History.com).
“Andrew Bather undertook to convey the fugitives out of the town. He obtained for the occasion a covered family carriage, which belonged to H. P. Stanley. He transported them to Lyons and entrusted C. B. Campbell with the runaways, who had hired a skiff to convey them across the river. The river was full of ice and it was only after paying a high price that the owner of the skiff agreed to make the crossing. During this trip the woman, whose complexion was so fair as to give her the appearance of a white woman, represented herself as the owner of her husband” (Clinton History.com).
Many different roads and railroads crisscross Iowa and the railway has always been a part of an Iowan’s life, but one of the most important was a silent, invisible railroad dedicated to helping slaves escape. The secret societies of people, united in the common cause of helping runaway slaves, were unified violators of the fugitive slave law. The punishments for this crime would have been terrible: imprisonment, fines, or physical violence to themselves or their families. However, this did not deter many of these courageous people. They dedicated their lives to helping runaways achieve what humans should never be denied – freedom. These ordinary citizens in Clinton, Iowa, helped countless fugitives escape to a life they had previously only dreamed.
Clinton County American Revolution Bicentennial Commission. Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission. “History of Clinton Country Iowa”.
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Hemingway, Albert. Riding the Freedom Trail. America’s Civil War. November 1989: 42 – 48.
Long, Katherine and Erickson, Melvin. “Clinton: A Pictorial History”.
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Patrick, Kathy. Escaped Slaves on the Underground Railroad found welcome havens in Ohio’s Oberlin and Wellington. America’s Civil War – Travel. May 1994: 66 – 68.
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National Geographic Web site March 28, 2002
<http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/>
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center March 28, 2002
<http://www.undergroundrailroad.org/>
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Wilmot, Franklin A. “Disclosures and confessions of Frank A. Wilmot, the slave thief and Negro runner”. Philadelphia: Barclay & Co. 1860. Library of American Civilization. McIntyre Library, UWEC Campus. Eau Claire, WI.