Josiah Bushnell Grinnell and the Iowa Underground Railroad

“Preacher,” “congressman,” “negro-stealer”: Josiah Bushnell Grinnell was called all of those things during his life. He was called a "negro-stealer" because he participated in the Iowa Underground Railroad. J.B. Grinnell and other Grinnell residents helped at least 37 Black people who escaped enslavement that passed through the town before the Civil War. But some residents opposed this work. David Connon will tell a story of racism, noble actions and conflict. He will highlight abolitionist John Brown’s visit to Grinnell, and Grinnell’s first riot over the presence of Black students in the public school.