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The Museum's African American History room contains many items relating to African American history in Stephenson County and the United States. The Taylor home may have been used as a stop along the Underground Railroad, a secret trail of safe houses where runaway slaves knew they could get some food and rest. Oscar Taylor was a strong abolitionist who went to great lengths after the Civil War to find jobs and housing for freed slaves.
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Oscar
Taylor's daughter Charissa Taylor Bass told of
slaves beign hidden in a small
separate room in the basement with a door disguised with shelves of
fruit jars. Today, this room is open to the public and is part of
the regular tour. 
Was the room really used to hide slaves? Since it
was illegal, they left no records and we may never know
conclusively. However, a lot of circumstancial evidance points to
it. For an in-depth look at the question,