626 Chapel St.

Historical marker location:

626 Chapel St, Ottawa, Illinois

( Marker is on Chapel Street west of Chester Street, on the right when traveling west.)

circa 1914.

The state of Illinois played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape to freedom in the 19th century. Many abolitionists in Illinois provided safe houses for escaping slaves, and Chicago was a key hub on the Underground Railroad.