Situated in Godfrey, the Rocky Fork region traces its roots back to the era before the Civil War. It was a destination for both freed individuals and slaves who journeyed across the Mississippi River to start anew in Illinois, a free state. The National Park Service documents that as far back as 1816, Rocky Fork Church emerged as one of the earliest safe havens in a Free State for slaves fleeing Missouri. By the 1830s, a more structured route for the Underground Railroad was implemented via the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Following the Missouri Emancipation Proclamation in 1865, the area persisted as both a rest stop on the escape route and a community for those who had fled slavery.