Shipwreck connected to freed slaves

OGDEN DUNES, Ind. - An archaeological team is trying to determine if a Lake Michigan shipwreck might have had ties to the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape from the South during the 1800s.\nA member of the Briggs Project Team said the group has begun analyzing the shipwreck off Ogden Dunes beach and has combed through historical records in LaPorte and Porter counties for information about the role the area played in providing fugitive slaves with an exit route to freedom in Canada.\n“There’s a good possibility you have a big piece of history here in your backyard,” Roger Barski told guests of the Ogden Dunes Historical Society during a presentation on the team’s research Sunday.\nThe team began studying the ship, designated the Alpha Wreck, in summer 2005.