Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of James M. Cornelius’s research material on the house Hickory Hill and its builder John Hart Crenshaw. Cornelius was hired by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to research Crenshaw’s reputation as a kidnapper and illegal slaver.
Hickory Hill, or the Old Slave House, was built in the 1830s and was home to John Hart Crenshaw (1797-1871), an enslaver and salt miner in Gallatin County, Illinois. The property was purchased by the Sisk family in 1913, and they operated Hickory Hill as a tourist attraction from 1926-1996. In 2000, the State of Illinois bought Hickory Hill, at which time the home became property of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. After purchasing Hickory Hill, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency worked to investigate claims that John Hart Crenshaw used the house to imprison free African Americans to sell into slavery during the pre-Civil War years by contacting the Illinois History Survey (now the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections) to research Hickory Hill and the life of John Hart Crenshaw. James M. Cornelius was hired to perform the research and produce a report on his findings. He submitted his report in June 2002. In 2004, the National Park Service named Hickory Hill a "station" on the Reverse Underground Railroad to recognize Crenshaw's role in selling free African Americans into slavery.
This collection contains James M. Cornelius's finished report, drafts, and related publications. It also contains Cornelius’s correspondence with historians as well as Crenshaw and Sisk family descendants and various research files, including notes, newspapers, bibliographical materials, interview transcripts, and photocopies of public records.
The Library was given this collection sometime prior to 2011.
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