A local site’s addition to a historic national program is helping shed light on the story behind a mysterious Underground Railroad leader with roots in the Tri-Cities.

The Rev. John and Lucinda Cross Family Home in Batavia was recently added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Operated by the National Park Service, the Network to Freedom "honors, preserves and promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight" and currently contains over 800 locations nationwide.

According to St. Charles History Museum Archivist Eric Krupa, the inconspicuous home on the corner of Harrison and Elm Streets in Batavia has an incredible past. He intends to document this story, and the life of John Cross, for the first time in an upcoming publication.

"As historians, we want to get away from the pre-conceived notion that the Underground Railroad was simply a network of white abolitionists, who escorted Freedom Seekers from one safehouse to another,” Krupa said in a release. “In reality, these were Black-led operations, which began in the 17th century, and continually evolved over time. It wasn't until nearly two hundred years later, when the complex system most people recognize as the 'Underground Railroad,' began to operate as perceived."

According to this research, Cross traveled from New York to Illinois in 1839 to connect a covert network of radical abolitionists to help freedom seekers escape from the westernmost slave states. Dozens of Black, white, and Indigenous abolitionists were involved.

Krupa discovered that Cross successfully recruited like-minded individuals throughout the journey, establishing a web of friendly operatives across the Midwest. This helped usher in a new period of resistance and changed the nature of many freedom-seeking operations. Cross continued to operate these networks across Illinois before moving to Iowa in 1860.

"Despite his extremely important role, John Cross was one piece of a much larger puzzle,” Krupa said. “My colleague, Glennette Tilley Turner, likes to describe Rev. Cross as the 'Johnny Appleseed of the Underground Railroad' and I believe that is a spot-on representation.”

Krupa is adamant that Cross deserves to be recognized as part of a larger narrative which he believes history has largely ignored. Collaborating with the Batavia Depot Museum, the current homeowner, and the National Park Service was a key part of the research.

“I was so honored to learn, thanks to the hard work of Eric Krupa and with the assistance of Kate Garrett at the Batavia Depot Museum and others, about the incredible history of my home and the role it played in the work of Rev. John Cross,” said Joe Erbentraut, current owner of the Cross home.

Erbentraut agrees with Krupa that Cross is an influential though overlooked historical figure within the area.

“He’s been described to me as an agitator, as someone who was defiant in the face of those who disagreed with his activism,” Erbentraut said. “As a queer person and as someone who cares deeply about social justice issues including freedom seekers’ inspiring and harrowing journey along the Underground Railroad, I consider it a privilege to now be a steward of a piece of that history connecting the story of our river town to a legacy of social progress and a legacy of looking out for each other.”

Of the 16 new sites that were added to the network in 2026, two are in the Tri-Cities: the Cross house and the St. Charles History Museum. They’re currently the only Tri-Cities sites on the list.

For more information on these findings, his publication, or any additional questions, you can email Eric Krupa at [email protected] or [email protected].

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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