From Confluence's Flickr Page

St. Louis has a long and storied history.  Celebrating our history is a way to not only remember the past, but to connect with it. 

This Saturday, May 23rd from 11:00am to 3:00pm is an opportunity to remember the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing. 

The History Behind the Event:

“In the early morning hours of May 21, 1855 a small group of people, including three runaway slaves, crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis in an attempt to reach safety in Illinois. Accompanying them was Mary Meachum, a free woman of color and the widow of a prominent African American clergyman. Even today The activities of the Underground Railroad remain largely shrouded in mystery. this event is remarkably different because the group was apprehended and, since the slaves belonged to the prominent St. Louisan Henry Shaw, a detailed story of the escape was covered in local newspapers. Thus was preserved for posterity a rare example, with exact location, of an Underground Railroad event in Missouri — in fact, the first documented site in our state. In late 2001, the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing was dedicated as a National Park Service historic site.”

This Underground Railroad site is the first site in Missouri to be recognized as a site on the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and is only accessible via the St. Louis Riverfront Trail.

Event:

According to Grace Hill:

The annual celebration of this historic event is marked by community presentations and festivities. The event culminates with the reenactment of the 1855 event portraying urban slaves that have left the City to meet on the riverbanks to seek freedom across the River. After expressing their hopes and fears through oratory and song, the actors are confronted by the sheriff and his men. Shots are fired. Some freedom seekers’ brief brush with liberty is crushed. The audience is stunned by the drama but quickly rejoice when they become part of the balloon launch symbolizing freedom. Gathering at the River’s edge, participants release hundreds of environmentally-friendly, multi-colored balloons which drift over the Mississippi toward the north.

Future Plans:

Several organizations are seeking to improve the site including: Great Rivers Greenway District, Grace Hill Settlement House, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office, and National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program