VANDALIA — The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County MI and the Village of Vandalia will partner for the 9th Annual Underground Railroad Days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15.  Festivities will be centered in the Village of Vandalia, as well as three nearby Underground Railroad stations.

UGRR Days Opening Night begins at 7 p.m. Friday, July 13. It will feature a documentary by Vandalia filmmaker Sally Jo Conner. “The 1847 Kentucky Raid” will be shown at Ross Beatty High School and will be followed by a discussion with the audience, led by Dr. Benjamin Wilson.

Saturday and Sunday will feature 40-minute guided tours of Kentucky Raid sites, UGRR related presentations and displays in the Vandalia Youth Center, a living history encampment of the Civil War 102nd U.S. Colored Troops, and all day entertainment at the Ramptown Cabin in Milo Barnes Park. Three historic sites related to the Underground Railroad will be open for tours.  The Victorian James E. Bonine House (M-60 and Penn Road) home of Quaker abolitionists James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine, and the Bonine Carriage House across the street where fugitive slaves (now called freedom seekers) were sheltered, will be open. 

The Stephen and Hannah Bogue House just up the street (M-60 and Crooked Creek Road) will also be open to visitors. The Bogue House was recently donated to URSCC. Visitors can see the attic where many freedom seekers were hidden and learn about the role the home played in the Kentucky Raid.

The Village of Vandalia will offer a soul food dinner for $10 and family events. Parking and all events are free. Contact Beverly Young, Vandalia village president, for arts and crafts booth space (269) 476-2344.  More information can be found at urscc.org.