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Rocky Fork emerged in the early 19th century as one of the earliest free Black settlements in Illinois. Rocky Fork is believed to have functioned as a station within regional Underground Railroad networks, providing refuge and support to enslaved individuals seeking liberation from bondage.
Strategically positioned just north of Alton, Illinois, and two miles from the Mississippi River, a boundary between slaveholding Missouri and free Illinois, Rocky Fork served as a waystation for freedom seekers fleeing enslavement.
Priscilla “Mother” Baltimore, a formerly enslaved woman who secured her freedom in Missouri before relocating to Illinois, played a significant role in anti-slavery organizing in the region. Working alongside AME leaders such as John (later Bishop) Paul Quinn, she helped expand the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s presence in southwestern Illinois. New Bethel AME Church at Rocky Fork became a spiritual and community anchor closely associated with the Underground Railroad.
The church was reportedly established in the community by 1839. It was later officially founded in 1863 by Reverend Erasmus Green, with the first building constructed in 1869. This institution became a vital sanctuary along the Underground Railroad route, earning Baltimore the moniker “Moses of the West” for her assistance in guiding numerous freedom seekers to safety.
The presence of New Bethel AME Church catalyzed Rocky Fork’s anti-slavery activism, attracting both Black and white abolitionists to serve as conductors along the Underground Railroad in Illinois. Through interracial collaboration, freedom seekers fleeing enslavement from Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee found solace and refuge in Rocky Fork.
The route to Rocky Fork typically followed the Illinois River valley, with fugitives aided by sympathetic boat owners along the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers. Alternatively, some took overland routes or swam to reach the area. Upon reaching the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, freedom seekers navigated Piasa Creek to Rocky Fork Creek. Along the way, local oral tradition holds that landmarks such as the “Mail Tree” and the “Slave Tree” aided freedom seekers as landmarks on the route to freedom via Underground Railroad stops like Rocky Fork.
Despite the danger, the Rocky Fork community remained steadfast in its commitment to aiding freedom seekers, defying federal laws such as the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. While tens of thousands of enslaved people are believed to have escaped through Underground Railroad networks nationwide before the Civil War, Rocky Fork was one of many documented stops accessed by those seeking liberation.
While the story of Rocky Fork was long overlooked, its significance is now being acknowledged and preserved. The National Park Service has recognized Rocky Fork as listed in the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom database, recognizing its documented association with Underground Railroad activity.
For additional information, check out these sources:
https://sites.google.com/ismsociety.org/womens-history-trail/priscilla-baltimore
https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/rocky-fork-underground-railroad-community-1816
https://mythicmississippi.illinois.edu/african-american-heritage/godfrey
2 comments
Charlotte E. Johnson
The four families you speak of did not move to Rocky Fork until the 1850’s. The Rocky fork community started before 1816. I know when the story about the four families started. What was your source? There was not a church until 1863. The building was built in 1869.
BlackMail4u
Thank you for commenting on the post. Much of the information researched came from oral traditions I identified through online research. Based on your feedback I did go back and do some additional research and updated the article. My understanding regarding the start of the church was that it was established in the community of freed and runaway slaves by 1839 and that It was later officially founded in 1863 by Reverend Erasmus Green, with the first building constructed in 1869. I strive for accuracy in posting and really appreciate your feedback. Based on your comments, I did go back and make some updates to the post. I apologize for the delay in responding. My posts often get alot of spam comments. And this post was was initially flagged as spam. Thans again for reaching out.