The Ridge Historical Society salutes Black History Month, celebrated in February. It is a time to remember important people and events in history. We have two stories from Ridge history today, an unofficial stop on the Underground Railroad (UGRR) and a woman named Cornelia Reeves.
The UGRR was not really a railroad that ran underground. It was the name given to the secret network of safe routes and locations that escaped slaves from the southern U. S. could use to reach the northern states and Canada in the early to mid-1800s.
The Gardner Tavern at 9955 Beverly Ave. was built around 1836 by Jefferson Gardner. It served as his home and as a way-stop for travelers along the Vincennes Road. A “tavern” back then was more like a motel.
William Wilcox bought the property in 1844 and owned it until 1870. The building was never an official stop on the UGRR but there are stories about fugitive slaves sleeping in the barn and out-buildings. In 1934, when the old tavern was finally torn down, Alice Barnard wrote in The Weekly Review newspaper, the forerunner of today’s Beverly Review, that these people “were fed and went on their way.” There were four Wilcox sons who served in the Union Army. A picture of the Gardner Tavern as it likely appeared in 1837 was included with the article, drawn by architect Murray Hetherington who designed many fine homes in the Beverly-area.
It was kept very hush-hush when an escaped slave was discovered. One of the many pro-slavery people in Illinois could report this to the authorities. The law was not on the slave’s or property owner’s side. Runaway slaves could be returned to the South for a bounty and there were some very prosperous slave hunters.
RHS is including its information on the Gardner Tavern in the new exhibit, “Real American Girls of the Ridge,” which opens to the public this Sunday, March 1. This exhibit pairs dolls from the historical collection of American Girl dolls with real women who were connected to the Ridge from the same time period. Addy Walker, the African American doll from the Civil War period, is part of the exhibit. She is paired with Cornelia Reeves.
Cornelia Reeves was a former slave who came to the Ridge with her children and grandchildren in the late 1880s. According to a 1936 article in the Chicago Defender, as a small child in Virginia, she saw her parents and siblings sold, and never had any contact with them again. The article claims her family were the first African Americans to settle in Morgan Park. Mother Reeves, as she was known, and her family were active with the Beth Eden Baptist Church.
RHS is doing more research on Mother Reeves and is reaching out to descendants who may still be in the area. As more is learned, the section of the exhibit on Mother Reeves will be expanded.