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22nd Annual Mary Meachum Celebration
Sat, Oct. 19 12-5pm
Watch history come to life on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River. The event includes historical performances, vendors, music, gospel choirs, and children’s activities! Family-friendly bike ride from the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing to the Gateway Arch and back begins at 12pm. This year’s historical re-enactment and plays portray three different enslaved families and their escape journeys, including one by horse and wagon! All ages are welcome to witness and reflect how enslaved people and their allies risked it all in pursuit of basic freedoms.
American Slavery: Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey!
Event Schedule
12pm – Trailnet Bike ride begins; site & vendors open to public
1pm – Live, local music
2pm – Remarks from local leaders
3pm – Main events- historical re-enactment
5pm – Last shuttle leaves, see you next year!
Who is Mary Meachum?
Mary Meachum (1801–1869) and her husband, Reverend John Berry Meachum, were American abolitionists who dedicated their lives to educating and freeing enslaved people. On the night of May 21, 1855, a small group of enslaved people met at Mary Meachum’s home downtown as the waypoint to start their journey to the river to attempt an escape in the area that is now part of the Mississippi Greenway: Riverfront Trail north of the Merchant’s bridge. They intended to cross the Mississippi River to Illinois where slavery was outlawed. However, enslavers and law enforcement officials caught at least five of the enslaved people and arrested Mary for her participation in the plot. She was charged in criminal court for helping the “fugitives” escape. In 2001, the National Park Service recognized the site as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Click the plus sign to learn more about Mary Meachum
Where is the Mary Meachum Site?
The site is located on the Mississippi Greenway. To bike or walk to the site, you can park in North Riverfront Park and ride south on the greenway. To drive there, take Highway 70 to Adelaide Avenue: Head east toward river; south on Hall to Prairie; left (east) on Prairie to site & parking, free shuttle the rest of the way. You can use the address 28 E. Grand Ave.
Past Celebrations
The 2023 event “Field Hollers to Hip Hop” celebrated the evolution of St. Louis’s Black music heritage.
The 2022 event brought hundreds of people together at the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing site for the 20th anniversary of this celebration.
The 2021 virtual event highlights the stories of Black St. Louisans whose lives were intertwined with Missouri’s journey to statehood and the legalization of slavery in the state. In 1818, Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state. A compromise was struck, and the horror of slavery was once again expanded. There was no compromise for enslaved people. Join us to learn about and connect to our community’s past, present, and future. Watch the 2021 virtual event video here. Thank you to the 2021 sponsors Great Rivers Greenway and Missouri Division of Tourism for supporting bringing these important stories to life!
The 2020 event (virtual) focused on the struggles to pass the 15th Amendment giving Black men the right to vote, and the incredible violence that women had to endure for the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment. Check it out here.
