• Ronald D. O’Neal is located in the heart of the first African American Settlement in the Elgin community.

    Project 2-3-1: A Story of Elgin’s African American Heritage is a documentary that tells the rich history of African Americans who arrived in Elgin by boxcars. They were slaves from “contrabands” during the Civil War and it explores their beginnings and growth in the community. 

    In 2017, the National Park Service certified Project 2-3-1 as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.