October 15-18, 2017 Sunday-Wednesday
Alton, just across the Mississippi River from the slave state of Missouri, became an important town for abolitionists and the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a scattered system of homes, barns, churches, and other structures where people were willing to risk their own lives to hide the runaway slaves. One such station was the Hanson Mansion in Alton. Built by Nathaniel Hanson in 1857 it was designed to serve as a hiding place for slaves pursuing their freedom. Hanson, who was closely involved with the abolitionist movement in Alton, had the foundation of his house dug to a depth of fifteen feet so that rooms and narrow passageways could be carved into the limestone to hide runaway slaves. The ornate cupola on the roof of the mansion was used to signal runaway slaves, two lights meant danger while one light indicated it was safe for them to cross the Mississippi River.
The abolitionist Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy, an advocate of free speech and the abolition of slavery, was murdered by a pro-slavery mob as he tried to protect his printing press from being destroyed.
The Gentle Giant of Alton was Robert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest person in human recorded history. Robert was eight feet eleven inches tall, had a wingspan of nine feet and wore a size 37 shoe.
The rustic 1904 General Store, hand-carved in Germany’s Black Forest, was part of the German exhibit at the St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair. In 1905 the building was purchased and moved to Alton, to become a photography studio and is now an old fashion candy store & gift shop.
The town is also a known as one of the most haunted small towns in the United States. Want to know more? Read Haunted Alton! by author Troy Taylor.
On Monday Rick serviced the engine while I did laundry, cleaned the boat, and served as ‘gopher’ for Rick. At the end of the day, we joined other loopers and travelers for docktails and tall tales about their adventures. Many of them plan on leaving tomorrow, loopers will continue their Great Loop adventures and the other travelers will make their way to Florida, the Bahamas, and Panama for the winter. Interesting people with great stories.
Tuesday we had a great afternoon at the National Great Rivers Museum. The museum, located adjacent to the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, is operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and tells the story of the Mississippi River via interactive displays, two video presentations, and a tour of the locks. We were lucky, the M/V Kylie Brown out of Houston, TX was locking through with a liquefied gas barge while we were there. When entering and leaving the locks the tow is only going about one knot. The video is 12x the actual speed. The two videos were “Power of the River” which shows the Mississippi River from its source to the mouth exploring the culture that lives along its banks and the “Lewis and Clark: A Confluence of Time and Courage” which tells the story of the Corps of Discovery from an Army and Native American perspective.
Andiamo’s fuel and water tanks are full, the holding tank is empty, and she has been well provisioned and we are ready for an early departure tomorrow.
