Celebrating Black History: The Underground Railroad in St. Louis and Vicinity

As people migrated west across the American colonies and the newly formed states, they brought the institution of slavery with them. New England and the mid-Atlantic had tolerated slavery, and when the French founded St. Louis, they, too, had enslaved Africans and Native Americans with them. By the time of the Civil War, Missouri was home to both enslavers and those who opposed them. Although Missouri achieved statehood as a slave state in what was called the Missouri Compromise, there was a deep divide in the state over slave ownership. Because of that, when the network of safe houses leading to freedom that we know as the Underground Railroad developed across the country, Missouri, and the St. Louis area, became important in the movement to both free those who were enslaved and, at the same time, to capture those who tried to escape and return them to their enslavers. Let us tell you more . . .

National Park Service's Network to Freedom

The National Park Service has created a "Network to Freedom" that is dedicated to finding stops on the Underground Railroad as well as those locations with "verifiable connections" to resistance to enslavement. Established in 1998, the program works with universities and historians to determine where people stood up to injustice, either by offering the hope of safety or by other acts of resistance to the status quo.

Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing

The first nationally recognized Underground Railroad site in St. Louis is down by the riverfront, entitled the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing. Mary Meachum, like her husband, Reverend John Berry Meachum, was a former slave. Together, they "dedicated their lives to educating and freeing slaves." Reverend Meachum established the first Black congregation in St. Louis, the First African Baptist Church, and they created a safe haven at their home, helping fugitives escape across the river to Illinois, where slavery was abolished in 1848. John died in 1854, but Mary continued for another year until she and some of the people she was assisting were caught, and she was brought to trial. Although she served a bit of jail time, her case was mysteriously dropped, and she spent the rest of her life aiding her people before passing away in 1869. (Photo of Mary Meachum in the public domain)

Additional St. Louis Locations

Several additional St. Louis locations were added to the National Park Service in 2024: the General Daniel Bissell House, the Tower Grove House at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the burial site of Archer Alexander at St. Peter's Cemetery in Normandy, and the Greenwood Cemetery in Hillsdale, St. Louis County.

The Tower Grove House, built in 1849, was the country home of Missouri Botanical Garden's founder, Henry Shaw, who was the owner of enslaved people for almost forty years. There is an exhibit in the basement of the home about some of the enslaved people who worked there. On at least two occasions, Shaw's slaves attempted to seek their freedom. One, a woman called Esther and her children, were captured in the raid that led to Mary Meachum's imprisonment; Esther was subsequently sold and unwillingly parted from her children.

Greenwood Cemetery was the first "commercial nonsectarian cemetery for African Americans in St. Louis," and is the site of more than 50,000 burials, including several well-known Civil Rights activists, Buffalo Soldiers, and other professionals. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, and after many years of neglect, is now undergoing restoration.

Archer Alexander

St. Peter's Cemetery is the burial place of Archer Alexander, who until recently had fallen into obscurity. Archer was enslaved during the Civil War, but he learned of a plot to destroy a railroad bridge in St. Charles County by his enslaver and others. He managed to get to a guardhouse to inform Union troops of the plot, but his own life was then in danger. His bravery saved many lives, but he had to go into hiding via the Underground Railroad. He was sheltered by the founder of Washington University, William Greenleaf Eliot, but after a military hearing in 1863, Archer won his freedom. Interestingly, it was Mr. Eliot who saw to it that Archer became the image of an enslaved man on the Emancipation Monument in Washington, D.C. Also of interest, Archer is the third great-grandfather of Muhammed Ali! (Photo of Archer Alexander in the public domain)

Familiar Landmarks and A Newly Recognized Location

Before it was recognized as the Bissell House, the plantation was called the Franklinville Farm, containing more than 2,300 acres in north St. Louis County, "and boasted one of the largest enslaved workforces in the region." General Daniel Bissell and his family were strongly in favor of slavery and spent both energy and money to recapture the brave enslaved people who ran away from the plantation.

Also in this list is the Old Courthouse, designated in 2002; Freedom Plaza, in front of the Civil Courts Building, designated in 2025; "Lila, the Life of a Missouri Slave," on North 20th street, designated in 2024; and, because of its valuable collections of early Missouri history, the Missouri Historical Society Library on Skinker Boulevard, designated in 2025. There is also a church in Illinois, the Quinn Chapel AME Church, Brooklyn, designated in 2013, but it is not open to the public as it is still an active congregation.

The newest addition to our area's recognition occurred on 22 January 2026, when the Missouri River Freedom Crossing became part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. This site is another tribute to Archer Alexander, as he was with a group of men attempting to flee after the railroad bridge plot was thwarted. The group was captured at this location, but Archer escaped.

Interactive Map of All Sites is Available

For those who would like to see exactly where these sites are located, head to this interactive map created by arcgis.com. When you get to the map, you can zoom into St. Louis and see all of the sites mentioned above. Click on each of the blue, yellow, and orange shapes to learn more about the sites they represent.

We can't erase the past or undo wrongdoings of our ancestors, but acknowledging our history and remembering those who sacrificed, exhibited endurance and bravery, and fought for their own survival, and ultimately ours, is what we genealogists can do best. Help us remember your ancestors by writing about them, either for our Quarterly journal or for our St. Louis City/County Biographies project. Learn more on our website:

• Write for the Quarterly: https://stlgs.org/about-us-2/society-periodicals-2/stlgs-quarterly
• Submit a biography: https://stlgs.org/research-2/community/st-louis-biographies

More Information About the Underground Railroad in St. Louis:

"Archer Alexander," by Dorris Keeven-Franke, https://archeralexander.blog/

Mary Meachum and the St. Louis Stampede of 1855, Slave Stampedes on the Southern Borderlands, National Park Service Network to Freedom//House Divided Project at Dickinson College, undated blog post, https://housedivided.dickinson.edu/sites/stampedes/meachum-1855/

"Explore Network to Freedom Listings," National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/ntf-listings.htm

"Saint Louis County's Bissell House Added to National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom," 12 September 2024, St. Louis County, Missouri's website, https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-government/county-executive/county-executive-news/saint-louis-countys-bissell-house-added-to-national-park-services-underground-railroad-network-to-freedom/

"The Missouri Botanical Garden and Slavery," Missouri Botanical Garden's website, https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/about/additional-information/our-history/missouri-botanical-garden-and-slavery

"The National Park Service Adds Three St. Louis Locations to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom," by Rachel Huffman, 5 February 2024, Explore St. Louis, https://explorestlouis.com/whats-new/the-national-park-service-adds-three-st-louis-locations-to-the-national-underground-railroad-network-to-freedom/