[African Americana] Underground Railroad

Updated August 6, 2026

Estimate: 80 / 800 Cockrum, William M. HISTORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD AS IT WAS CONDUCTED BY THE ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE, INCLUDING MANY THRILLING ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN THOSE AIDING THE SLAVES TO ESCAPE AND THOSE TRYING TO RECAPTURE THEM. Oakland City, Indiana: J.W. Cockrum Printing Company, [1915.] 8vo. 328 pp. + 14 plates and 1 map included in pagination (all illustrations present as per list at the end.) Bound in original purple cloth lettered in gilt. FIRST EDITION of this uncommon firsthand history of the Underground Railroad in Indiana by Civil War veteran, educator, and local historian William M. Cockrum. Drawing upon personal knowledge and the recollections of participants, Cockrum documents the clandestine network that assisted freedom seekers escaping slavery, preserving accounts of conductors, safe houses, escape routes, and dramatic confrontations with slave catchers. Published at the close of the author's life, the work remains an important regional source on the Underground Railroad in the Old Northwest. A desirable first edition of a significant Midwestern abolitionist history, issued by the author's own printing company in Oakland City, Indiana. Scarce in commerce and increasingly sought after for its firsthand treatment of Underground Railroad operations and Indiana's role in the antislavery movement. Condition: Spine mildly toned, front endpaper clipped at upper portion, a few pages with a small ink-stamp of the former owner to the upper margin, otherwise a Very Good example.

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