Dorris Keeven Franke

Imagine yourself trapped between two hostile forces during the Civil War in Missouri. Caught in this huge conflict the enslaved Archer Alexander would earn his freedom, because of his brave act at the Peruque Creek bridge in St. Charles County. When he learned of his enslaver’s plot to destroy the vital railroad bridge, he rushed to inform the Union Troops stationed at the guardhouse. This critical knowledge would save hundreds of lives, and precious military supplies. With the local area’s men in hot pursuit, Archer fled for his life, via the network to freedom, otherwise known as the Underground Railroad. He would find safety in the home of a Unitarian minister, and founder of Washington University in St. Louis, William Greenleaf Eliot. It would be dangerous to harbor a fugitive slave and though given protection by the military, Archer would be hidden in Alton, Illinois until his emancipation was announced…