A copy of the Hitchcock Bible on display at the Carnegie Historical Museum in Fairfield . The elaborately illustrated Bible proved to be an effective tool in finding fellow abolitionists to help with the Underground Railroad in Jefferson County . Photo by Donald Promnitz / The Ottumwa Courier
“ His big toe went through a crack in the floor and they were discovered ,” Daugherty said . “ Those four runaways were returned to Missouri and the would-be liberator was put in jail , but he was allowed to escape and go back home .”
Another incident reported in Jefferson County was recalled in 1923 by conductor Christian Byrkit , who started helping with the Underground Railroad at age 11 . While transporting a runaway to Pleasant Plain in 1860 , the two spotted catchers on the dark road ahead . Byrkit pulled the reins on the horse too quickly , startling it and causing his gun to drop . It went off , and the runaway bolted into the woods . His fate is unknown .
14 | Now & Then
Mr . Yancey ’ s Bible
The operatives in the Underground Railroad had to be careful with discerning who they could trust , as their neighbors could be pro-slavery . However , they found ways to recruit operatives and grow their numbers despite the risks .
In Jefferson County , abolitionist James Yancey , an exslave , sold copies of Hitchcock ’ s Bible . These illustrated Bibles came in at $ 40 ( approximately $ 450 in today ’ s money ) and so to buy one from a Black salesman was a good indicator of the customer ’ s leanings .
“ He would sell that Bible on the side , and he only went up north , we noticed in all the footwork that we did . And was selling mostly in Black Hawk and Penn Township , which is north of Fairfield ,” said Jake Schmidt , curator for the Carnegie Historical Museum in Fairfield . “ And he would always do that because they already had the Railroad coming from the Missouri border , up through Van Buren County in this area to Birmingham . And then once they got up to Fairfield , they needed places to go north .”
Purchasers were often approached to open up their homes or to aid freedom seekers , and if one found a copy of Hitchcock ’ s Bible in a Jefferson County home , odds were that they were involved in – or at least sympathetic to – the abolitionists ’ cause . Two of these Bibles remain on display at the Carnegie .
Sites like the Pearson House and the Lewelling Quaker Museum in Salem remain open for visitors , while many artifacts from that time can be found at the Carnegie Museum . They tell the story of Iowa ’ s role in an American struggle – a role that helped it become a state .
” They came because of this deep , moral belief that they should help people escape slavery ,” Daugherty said . “ And they kind of in waves and groups came to settle in this area over 30 years . There were lots of people that came to Iowa specifically to do what they could for the Underground Railroad .”