The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing marks a spot just north of St. Louis where escaped enslaved people staged a daring passage across the Mississippi River from Missouri to the free state of Illinois. On the night of May 21, 1855, abolitionist Mary Meachum and nine individuals boarded a skiff to cross under cover of darkness. Ambushed by those hunting enslaved people on the other side, most of the party members were either killed as they scattered or captured and resold. Meachum was sent to jail. Meachum spent most of her…
