African Influence ~ St. Charles, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 46.909 W 090° 28.961
15S E 718662 N 4295575
One of 6 markers on the courthouse lawn about the area
Waymark Code: WM18D6Z
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2023
Views: 1
County of marker: St. Charles County
Location of Plaque: 2nd St. & Jefferson St., Borromeo Statue, courthouse lawn, St. Charles
Plaque Erected by; The City of St. Charles
Date Plaque Erected: September 25, 2003
Marker Text:
AFRICAN INFLUENCE
Slave and free Africans migrated to St. Charles through the "underground railroad" by word of mouth from storytellers, which was a great art among Africans because they were descendants of different tribes, speaking different dialects. They brought with them knowledge of farming, trapping and fishing. They also brought with them skills in the butchering of animals native to the surroundings from which they came. They were employed as farm hands, domestics, cooks and some also worked on the railroad line. One very notable figure was Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who founded the city of Chicago and then migrated to St. Charles in the early 1800s. He is buried in Borromeo cemetery.
The Old Post Office was the site of a "whipping post" where men were whipped for their misdeeds and a slave lock where slaves were sold. Most black slaves were brought into this area, and the slave bought and sold were mainly white; bought from foreign prisons and brought here by promoters. These white slaves were imprisoned for religious reasons. The slave block, a large flat stone, was used as a foundation stone and now lies beneath the front steps of this old post office building.