As summer has given way to fall and the trees have begun to turn and the leaves to fall, this is a perfect time of year to get out and enjoy the beauty of Cass County.

For history buffs, you can add another element to your fall color tour by taking the Cass County Underground Railroad site driving tour.

There are 19 stops on the tour, which begins in Vandalia at the state marker on Michigan 60 in Milo Barnes Park.

The marker talks about O’Dell’s Mill, which was located on Christiana Creek, which runs through the park. During the Kentucky Raid of 1847 a crowd of Quakers, free blacks abolitionists, slave catchers and freedom seekers came together on the site.

After a heated debate the crowd headed into Cassopolis to the courthouse.

Since there are 19 different stops on the tour, I will only highlight a few of them so that it can peak your interest without giving away the entire tour.

These are spots that are a must-see in my book if you want to know more about the roll of the Underground Railroad in Cass County.

Of course no tour is complete without a visit to the Bonine House and the carriage house across M-60.

The historic home, which is being beautifully preserved by the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County, was built in 1845 and then remodeled following the Civil War. Freedom seekers where given shelter by James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine, who became stationmasters along the Underground Railroad.

At this year’s Underground Railroad Days I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Charlotte Bonine, who lived in the home and was able to give me a better sense of what it was living there.

You need to stop at the Chain Lake Missionary Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Michigan and the oldest in Cass County.

The log church was built in 1850 and an anti-slave society was formed in 1853. The church’s cemetery has many graves that belong to members who fought in the Civil War.

While the home of Henry and Martha Shepard may no longer exist, a stop at the Vandalia Cemetery is a must.

Henry Shepard escaped slavery and was a conductor on the railroad. He also fought in the Civil War and testified in the Kentucky Raid trial.

Two of the final stops listed on the tour are key to understanding the impact on the Underground Railroad in Cass County.

I would stop in front of the historic Cass County Courthouse and read the marker before heading across the street to the Cass County Local History Library.

Inside the library you can find extensive information on Cass County as well as a large file on the Underground Railroad.

You know how they say, “history comes alive?” Well it can in Cass County and thanks to the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County it continues to grow.

You can stop by the Bonine House when it is open and pick up a tour packet or you can go to their website urscc.org and check it out.

I promise you that a trip through Cass County is not only spectacular this year, but it will overwhelm you with its history.

Scott Novak is community editor for the Cassopolis Vigilant and Edwardsburg Argus. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.