Underground Railroad Days 2024-- Big Success!
​Hundreds of people visited UGRR Days. Kentucky Raid tours were filled. Open houses at Bonine House, Bonine Carriage House, Bogue House and Brownsville School welcomed a steady stream of visitors. 102nd USCT soldiers were busy, and periodic music rang out from Ramptown cabin. Presentations in
Vandalia Youth Center were well attended. Vandalia classic car show on Saturday was full of beautiful cars, and church service under the tent on Sunday morning was uplifting--music, singing and good preaching from several pastors.
"Opening Night" on Friday, July 12 at Ross-Beatty was debut of URSCC "Young's Prairie: The Underground and Its Legacy in Cass County, Michigan" sponsored by Michigan Humanities Council, was well received. URSCC showed it four times in Vandalia Youth Center on Saturday and Sunday.
See it here, now, or go to our 'Videos and Podcasts" page.
Another debut--Brownsville School opened to visitors and former students. Go to www.brownsvilleschool.org to see more info and photos.
Underground Railroad Days 2022
Underground Railroad Days 2023 Well Attended!
Our 11th UGRR Days was a success! Local tv, social media and newspapers got the word out and people came from all over the region, State and the nation. The weather cooperated--no rain in 11 years : ) The Kentucky Raid Tours were full, the Bonine House, Carriage House and Bogue House were packed with visitors. The 102nd USCT soldiers were kept busy talking. Presentations by Jennifer Ray about Brownsville School project and Guy Turner about 102nd USCT in the Civil War had appreciative audiences. Ramptown cabin music was enjoyed by many.
The Village of Vandalia had a full roster of vendors and a variety of food offerings. Their classic car show on Saturday afternoon drew many enthusiasts. The community church service under the tent on Sunday morning drew hundreds as always.
The third floor of the c. 1850 Carriage House was open for the first time this year. Oral tradition maintains this floor is where freedom seekers were sheltered on their journey to Canada. Mary Charlotte Bonine b.1934 said her grandmother said a red railroad lantern was kept in the window. After the Bonine Elk Farm was sold in 1950s, the Chamberlain family moved in the apartment. Possessions discovered in the space are on display. The second floor of the Carriage House has a display of vintage farm tools donated by local families. The original sign for the 1879 Quaker Meeting House in Vandalia is also on display on the second floor.
Some visitors return every year to see updates in Bonine House-- our newly completed downstairs bathroom and our 1872 Chickering piano were points of interest. The Bogue House has a new front, and chairs from the Gem Theatre are in the east parlor, where Steven Bogue had anti-slavery meetings with Charles Osborn in 1843.
The Bonine House is open Monday-Friday from 2pm-5pm for tours. Private tours are available, please contact us on this website. See you next year, the second weekend of July!
Underground Railroad Days 2022 was a happy occasion for over a thousand people who visited Vandalia and participated in the activities. Two years delayed because of Covid, there were smiles everywhere. Glorious weather continued the eleven year streak of no rain during the celebration. The Kentucky Raid guided tours were full, and the Bonine House, Carriage House and Bogue House saw a steady stream of visitors. Musicans at the "Ramptown Cabin" entertained their audience in an intimate setting under the tent, and the blacksmith and spinner demonstrated their skills. Presentations on Cass County and the 102nd USCT in the Civil War,the Kentucky Raid of 1847, and Network to Freedom photos, were well attended. Vendors on the Vandalia Village grounds offered a wonderful variety to shoppers. The Sunday morning community church service on the Vandalia grounds was filled with joyous congregations from several churches in Vandalia and Cassopolis. This unique annual festival draws from the region and the State to celebrate the legacy of the Underground Railroad in the area. See you next year the second weekend of July!