Cairo, the small Illinois town (population 2,100) with a large legacy, is claiming its place at the confluence of rivers and history. It is a landmark on the state’s Freedom Trail, celebrating the “physical and spiritual pathways of freedom-seekers.” Don Patton, a lifelong resident of Cairo and president of the Cairo Historical Preservation Project, led a webinar tour to Cairo’s “Contraband Camp,” the site of former Union soldier barracks that housed thousands of former slaves during and after the Civil War. These refugees would board the Illinois Central railroad at Cairo on their way to points north. Most heartening about the presentation is that Cairo is embracing its legacy of diversity, civil rights and liberty. “People who live here now want to live here,” Patton said. The local history project drew a crowd of 100 proud citizens to the history project’s December dinner at the high school cafeteria. In this little town, freedom is something to celebrate. – Fletcher Farrar, editor
The Cairo African American History Trail was the first of this year’s series of Freedom Conversations, free webinars sponsored by the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission. For information contact katewill@illinois.edu.
This article appears in January 15-21, 2026.
