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National Archives and Records Administration (L) / Library of Congress (R)
Frederick Douglass, the renowned reformer, writer and orator, was well known in 1870. The former slave was probably the most famous African American of his time and on a cold February morning that year, he found himself in Peoria.
Douglass was on one of his many speaking tours and had just spoken the previous night in nearby Elmwood. Now it was time to travel by train from Peoria.
In order to have time to catch a train for his next engagement, Douglass had to spend the night in Peoria, a situation he confessed concern about, since on a previous visit, he’d been unable to secure a room for the night. An area resident who’d attended the Elmwood talk told him to call on Ingersoll.