Diary of Orrin Brown, Niles, Michigan. First Part of his Journal.
Commencing, Oct. 7th AD. 1864
Cloudy and cold with a high N.W. wind, made a box to put some provisions in for the boys that were drafted, started to St. Jo at 11 AM arrived home at 5 PM. Norman and I started for Niles about 7:30PM, arrived at Niles at 11:30PM took the train at 2AM.
Niles, Michigan
Did you know? Niles, Michigan, was a station on the pre-Civil War Underground Railroad to Canada?
Michigan played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, acting as both a key transit route and a final stop for many freedom seekers before their journey to Canada. Towns across southern Michigan, especially cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Jackson, St. Clair, and Niles, were active in the clandestine network, offering safe houses, transportation, and active abolitionist support for those escaping slavery.
Freedom seekers arrived in Michigan through several paths, including from Ohio and Indiana, and traveled north via Quaker settlements and abolitionist communities such as Kalamazoo. In response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which empowered slave catchers to recapture escaped slaves in free states, Michigan passed its own 1855 law forbidding state and local officials from assisting in returning people to slavery. Community members operated covertly, hiding those escaping slavery in homes, barns, churches, and businesses, creating an extensive—if loosely organized—network across much of the state.
The Michigan Freedom Trail Commission and History Center work to preserve and interpret the history of these efforts, with several interactive maps and tours available.
Michigan History Center: https://www.michigan.gov/mhc/michigan-history/michiganfreedomtrail
Read more:
- Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert L. O’Connell (Random House, 2014)
- The Underground Railroad in Michigan, by Carol E. Mull (McFarland, 2010)
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