Prudence Crandall Historical Marker Dedication

La Salle County Historical Society, Mendota Museum and Historical Society, Village of Troy Grove, William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and the Illinois State Historical Society Historical

Please join the La Salle County Historical Society, the Mendota Museum and Historical Society, the Village of Troy Grove, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the Illinois State Historical Society Historical at the formal ISHS historical marker dedication for Prudence Crandall a courageous woman who fought racial bigotry in New England and then moved for refuge to La Salle County.

Prudence Crandall (1803-1890) was a white teacher who in the 1830s conducted an advanced academy for black women in Canterbury, Conn. Originally an academy for white females, after the first black female was admitted, racial bigotry resulted in the academy becoming exclusively for black females. But white racial discrimination and repeat violence forced the school to close.

In Connecticut, Crandall’s school still stands as a museum and in 1995 the Connecticut General Assembly named her the Official Heroine of Connecticut.

In 1842 Crandall moved to Troy Grove living in Illinois for 35 years, primarily in La Salle County. She taught school and was an active in women’s rights and the abolitionist movement to end slavery.

The dedication will include a talk by Dr. Jennifer Rycenga of California, an authority on Crandall’s life.

Light refreshments and music to follow the dedication.

Location:
The marker will be located near the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial in a small park that mark’s where the famous figure of the American West was born. The location is appropriate because the Hickoks also were abolitionists and their home recorded as a station on the Underground Railroad helping freedom seekers escape from slavery.
(Map)