Battle Creek, Michigan, has welcomed two historical markers into its fold, receiving recognition for its storied past in the struggle for freedom. In an announcement by the National Park Service, two sites in Battle Creek have been officially added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. This inclusion marks an increase in the catalog of sites acknowledged for their role in the resistance to enslavement.
According to WOODTV, the Erastus and Sarah Hussey Store and House and Oak Hill Cemetery have entered the national narrative, taking their place among a series of 14 new landmarks stretched across 11 states. From the report by WWMT, it was the work of University of Michigan undergraduates interning with the Michigan History Center who led the research and writing of the nominations; with the fortitude of history propelling their academic inquiry, they earned these sites their rightful recognition.
The Hussey Store and House played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad, offering sustenance and refuge for those fleeing bondage. Erastus Hussey, alongside Sarah, his wife, were Battle Creek stalwarts in the abolitionist movement. Erastus recounted to the Battle Creek Sunday Morning Call in 1885, remembered through WOODTV, "Once, word came that thirty armed men were on their way here to capture the slaves in Battle Creek." His story highlighted the daring defiance expressed by local abolitionists against the encroachment of slave catchers.
Meanwhile, Oak Hill Cemetery harbors deeper narratives of freedom's quest. Perry Sanford, as told by UpNorthLive, was a self-emancipator who, after a harrowing escape in 1846, settled in Battle Creek and later became integral in local efforts advocating for the emancipation of others. His story is interwoven into the grounds of Oak Hill, shared also by the grave of the famed Sojourner Truth.
Sandra Clark, the director of the Michigan History Center, spoke of the importance of these recognitions. "It's really important for Michigan to have its sites listed in this national network. We have so much of that history, and so often that history is kind of overlooked," she told WWMT. Battle Creek's embrace of its history, as Clark pointed out, is an invitation to curiosity and a deeper understanding of the personal tales stitched into the fabric of the national struggle against enslavement.
