The Van Oostenbrugge Homestead in South Holland, slated for demolition, may find a new life as the office of the Midwest Underground Railroad Network.
Tom Shepherd, the network’s secretary, said residents looking for ways to save the building approached the network after learning about the plans to demolish it.
“We’re looking at having like a cultural, visitor center sort of thing, and our office for the Midwest Underground Railroad Network,” Shepherd said. “Not like it’s going to happen overnight, but we’re in the initial steps right now.”
The network has been in communication with the village to express its interest in the property, Shepherd said, and plans a walk through of the house with an architect to assess its condition.
South Holland’s director of communications said discussions to explore the options for the property were ongoing.
Mayor Don De Graff told the Daily Southtown in November the building’s state of deterioration and lack of active use had lead the village and historical society to conclude it was best to tear it down. The building is not used for tours or any other programming, De Graff said.
The planned demolition was opposed by Bill Paarlberg, the great-great-grandson of Cornelia Van Oostenbrugge, a former resident of the house. The house was built by Cornelia Van Oostenbrugge’s father, Jan Van Oostenbrugge, in 1858.
Paarlberg said he supports the plan to have the Underground Railroad Network take over the property.
“I think that’s a good idea, that they would take it over and make an office,” Paarlberg said. “I think that would be a good thing for them to do.”
The network leases office space from First Reformed Church in South Holland, which is only a few blocks away from the homestead, Shepherd said.
Members of the South Holland Historical Society were also in favor of the plan, Paarlberg said.
It hasn’t yet been decided whether the network would want to acquire the property outright, or reach an agreement with the village to use and maintain it, Shepherd said.
“My preference would be that the village would continue to hold the property and we would maintain the interior,” Shepherd said.
The Dutch immigrant community in the area was intertwined with the operation of the Underground Railroad, Shepherd said, and the homestead may be connected to that history.
“Escaped slaves that came up through this area, freedom seekers, heading north toward Canada, would come through this area and oftentimes would be able to find rest and food, assistance from the Dutch settlers in the community here,” Shepherd said.
The Underground Railroad Network said in a news release that it would use the space to highlight Underground Railroad routes through the south suburbs, as well as the abolitionist and immigrant history of the area more broadly.
“We don’t know if there’s a direct correlation with the Underground Railroad and the family, but oftentimes these things can be uncovered,” Shepherd said. “Where this is located is just along what would’ve been the trail to Chicago from mid-central Illinois, coming through this area.”
elewis@chicagotribune.com
