TREMONT, Ill. – Tazewell County marked Juneteenth with the dedication of a new Illinois State Historical Marker.
The Illinois State Historical Marker in rural Tremont recognizes Peter Logan, the first former slave to purchase land in the county.
The marker stands in the area where he purchased the land in 1837, along Franklin St. and Springfield Rd., with around 80 acres bought for $880. Logan’s land was also a part of the Underground Railroad, helping others to their own freedom.
Logan was born into slavery in 1780 in Virginia, and was able to purchase his own freedom in Arkansas. He was also able to purchase the freedom of his sister, Charlotte Hurst, and her daughter, Nancy Williams. They then settled in Elm Grove Township in Tazewell County in the 1830’s.
Logan eventually moved to Peoria in the 1860s, where he lived until his death in 1866.
“Tazewell County has a storied history of its own, in relation to race relations,” said William Furry, Executive Director of the Illinois State Historical Society. “But to know that this man was here advocating for escaped fugitive slaves is remarkable.”
Furry was one of the speakers at a ceremony Thursday morning at the location of the marker. Those at the ceremony were also able to view the deed from 1837 of the land sale to Logan.
NAACP Peoria Chapter President Marvin Hightower says he was not aware of Logan’s story at first. But once he learned more about Logan, Hightower says he was blown away by him.
Hightower says what stands out to him is Logan buying not just his freedom, but the freedom of others, as well as buying land in Tazewell County, making him an important historical figure.
“It shows that in spite of the odds that were against him, he came and made a real difference in this area, that’s part of the larger history of the United States,” Hightower said.
This year’s ceremony was the 5th straight year that Tazewell County has marked the Juneteenth holiday. County Clerk John Ackerman says it’s a holiday for everyone.
“This isn’t just for one community or the other, this is for all of us to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, and that should never go untold,” Ackerman said.
Ackerman says part of that is telling and keeping alive stories such as Peter Logan’s.
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