Come on back to the Shawnee National Forest and to Miller Grove! Harrison and Lucinda Miller, along with all seven of their children, were manumitted in Marshall County, Tennessee in the 1840s. They then traveled to southern Illinois to begin a new life as free people of color. They were soon joined by other families who, together, built the community that came to be known as Miller Grove. In 1850 there were seven families, but by 8160 there were 16 African American families living at Miller Grove! The town has long since been abandoned. However, this year, working with our archaeology partners at Southern Illinois University, we will conduct archaeological excavations in and around the remains of Harrison and Lucinda Miller's farmstead foundation. We'll use archaeological investigations to uncover pieces of past life in this antebellum, black ghost town. So, please join us this summer as we "sift through the past" at the site of this unique community once nestled in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest!
