John Hart Crenshaw (November 19, 1797 – December 4, 1871) was an American landowner, salt maker, kidnapper and

slave trader The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of e ...

, based out of

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,828, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Shawneetown. It is located in the southern ...

. He is also the great-great grandfather of killer and suspected serial killer

Joe Ball Joseph Douglas Ball (January 7, 1896 – September 24, 1938) was an American murderer and suspected serial killer, sometimes referred to as the "Alligator Man", the "Butcher of Elmendorf" and the "Bluebeard of South Texas". He is known to hav ...

, also known as "The Alligator Man".

Slave trader

Although

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

was a free state, Crenshaw leased the salt works in nearby

Equality, Illinois Equality is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 595 at the 2010 census, down from 721 at the 2000 census. Near the village are two points of interest, the Crenshaw House and the Garden of the Gods Wilder ...

from the government, which permitted the use of

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

for the arduous labor of hauling and boiling brackish water to produce

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

. Crenshaw was widely believed to be involved in the kidnapping and sale of free black citizens in free states as slaves in the south, an enormously profitable trade later known as the Reverse Underground Railroad. Crenshaw was twice prosecuted for kidnapping, but never convicted. Due to Crenshaw's keeping slaves and kidnapping free blacks, who were then pressed into slavery, his house became popularly known as

The Old Slave House ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and is alleged to be haunted. Stories of strange noises upstairs, coming from victims, date to 1851. Despite accounts that the rooms were slave quarters, Crenshaw family stories indicate a distinction between the plantation's household servants and field hands, and the victims of Crenshaw's criminal activities."The Old Slave House." National Park Service Network to Freedom Database. National Park Service. Accessed online May 23, 2010

/ref>Taylor, Troy. "Hickory Hill." www.prairieghosts.com, accessed May 23, 2010

Musgrave, Jon. 2005. ''Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground R.R.'' Published by Illinoishistory.com. 608 pages. A grand jury indicted Crenshaw for kidnapping, once in the mid-1820s (the outcome unknown) and again in 1842 when a trial jury acquitted him. The case's victims, Maria Adams and her seven or eight children ended up as slaves in Texas. In 1828, Crenshaw took Frank Granger and 15 others downriver to

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covington. Tipton County is part of the Memphis, TN- ...

, and sold them as slaves. Crenshaw also kidnapped 'Lucinda' and her children in 1828. She ended up in

Barren County, Kentucky Barren County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,485. Its county seat is Glasgow. The county was founded on December 20, 1798, from parts of Warren and ...

. Contemporary letters identifying Crenshaw's role back both cases. Crenshaw also kidnapped Peter White and three others in the 1840s. They were sold into slavery in Arkansas, but were later rescued.

Underground Railroad National Network to Freedom

In 2004, the National Park Service named the Crenshaw Mansion, referred to as "The Old Slave House", as part of the

Underground Railroad Network to Freedom The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

program to acknowledge its importance in the "reverse underground railroad" and the role John Crenshaw played in condemning free blacks to slavery for profit. File:The Old Slave House.jpg, 1970s photograph of the " Old Slave House" built by John Hart Crenshaw. File:Salineriverilscenic.jpg, The Saline River of southeastern

where John Crenshaw at the Illinois Salines, in

, leased out

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

slaves from their owners who boiled down salt brine water from wells and the river into usable

for sale. File:Kidnapping a free black to be sold into slavery, 1834 woodcut.jpg, Kidnapping a free black in a non-slave state to be sold into American slavery, 1834 in which Crenshaw was an active participant. File:James Ford Spawn Of Evil Inside Book Cover Illustrations.png, James Ford, the ferry operator and outlaw across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

in western

knew John Hart Crenshaw and probably used his criminal gang to illegally transport kidnapped free blacks from

to The South to be sold into slavery .

References

External links

* ttp://www.illinoishistory.com/osh-ugrr-app-21-25.pdf A timeline of the Crenshaw House (pdf)br>Black Kidnappings in the Wabash and Ohio Valleys of Illinois by Jon Musgrave
''This article includes public domain text from the National Park Service website'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Crenshaw, John 1797 births 1871 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American slave traders History of Illinois People acquitted of kidnapping People from Gallatin County, Illinois

Slave trader

Underground Railroad National Network to Freedom

See also

References

Further reading

External links