While the exhibit is hosted in Galesburg, there are numerous programs to expand the city’s understanding of the Underground Railroad story in the community. Take advantage of the wonderful opportunities noted below.

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The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois and Knox County

May 5, 2026, 6:30-7:30 PM
Galesburg Public Library

Join us as Owen Muelder, Director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Center at Knox College and one of the leading scholars on the Underground Railroad, tells us more about the Underground Railroad in Western Illinois, and more specifically, Knox County.

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Songs of the Illinois Freedom Road

May 11, 6-7 PM
Galesburg Public Library

Songs of the Illinois Freedom Road is the powerful new musical performance featuring the songs, stories, and struggles of the Illinois Underground Railroad. Lincoln Log Cabin will present this performance of award-winning folk musician Chris Vallillo.

The show features rare first-person accounts of freedom seekers who passed through Illinois. Highlighted stories include John and Mary Little, who traveled on foot 140 miles to Chicago, and George Burroughs, a black Canadian who worked on the Illinois Central Railroad where he helped smuggle escapees to freedom.

Vallillo extensively researched the subject using primary source documents such as the 1857 Slave Narratives of Canada and the WPA Slave Narratives as well as the most recent scholarship on the subject. Vallillo combines these powerful stories with eleven historic songs that were sung by the enslaved to inspire and share knowledge among themselves.

There is no cost to attend the performance, and no reservations are required.

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Tuesday Book Club

May 12, 1-2 PM
Galesburg Public Library

Meet us in the Group Study Room at 1:00 PM to discuss Night Flyer by Tiya Miles.

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Thursday Book Club

May 14, 6:30-7:30 PM
Jimmy’s Pizza

Meet us at Jimmy’s Pizza to discuss Night Flyer by Tiya Miles.

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Trumpets of Jubilee: The Beechers and the Abolitionist Movement

May 16, 2-4 PM
Galesburg Public Library

Visit the Blick Local Artist and Author Display on the second floor during the month of May to explore the traveling exhibit Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad.

Step into history with a musical and speaking performance by the Beecher Family, featuring Harriet Beecher Stowe! Join her as she brings to life her family’s influential role in the abolitionist movement.

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Free Movie: Harriet

May 20, 2-4:30 PM
Galesburg Public Library

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