The Only Free Road
An Underground Railroad Saga Unveiled
February 1859.
Two years and two months before the Battle of Fort Sumter that would mark the beginning of the Civil War, the first battles of this most perilous period in the country's history were already being fought along the middle American frontier.
Eight months before abolitionist John Brown attempted to initiate an armed slave revolt in southern states by taking over a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what has been called the dress rehearsal for the Civil War. On his last trip east, Brown escorted a group of liberated slaves from Missouri through Kansas Territory, Nebraska Territory, and Iowa.
Decades before it became widely known as the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses was used by enslaved Americans to escape into free states and Canada. Abolitionists, fugitives, bounty hunters, border ruffians, federal marshals and others battled for their ideas of freedom and justice along its paths.
This stunning novel brings to life the surprising violence of ideas and actions of the Underground Railroad and puts you alongside major figures of 1859 America such as John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, J.B. Grinnell, James Jordan, as well as everyday people who shaped American history. Travel with two young couples, one abolitionist and one fugitive, seeking freedom in a frantic story of slavery, heroism and the fight for freedom.
A one-act play by Patricia and Kevin Kimle
"Missives of the Civil War"
In the decade before the Civil War, many Iowans were actively involved in the struggle against slavery, through support for Free-State settlers in Kansas to participation in an Underground Railroad. The Only Free Road explores this theme.
When war was declared, these same abolitionist sentiments resulted in Iowa sending the highest per-capita numbers of soldiers to the Union Army of any state. Missives features characters from, or related to those in the book, and explores the experiences of Iowans during the years of the war.
Go to upcoming events to check out when and where you can see “Missives”. The authors will also be speaking about, selling and signing copies of The Only Free Road. The public is welcome.