6 Incredible Places Around Massachusetts That Were Once Part Of The Underground Railroad

The aptly named Liberty Farm was purchased by Abby Kelley and her husband Stephen Symonds Foster in 1847. They felt so strongly about women’s rights that they refused to pay annual taxes on their home until Abbey gained the right to vote. Each time the government seized the home for unpaid taxes, friends and neighbours would buy the home together and give it back to the Fosters. The couple sheltered many slaves on their way to resettle in Canada. The couple also toured the country promoting a variety of human rights and social issues, abolitionism among them.

This large home in Newton was built in 1809 by Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Jackson. He passed the house to his son William, who regularly sheltered slaves and abolitionist workers in his home. William’s daughter Ellen was witness to many of the comings and goings, and continued to volunteer at local charities and abolitionist causes even when the family could no longer afford to shelter slaves after William’s death in 1855.

Not to be confused with the Wayside Inn, this historic home was once home to "Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott, as well as children’s writer Margaret Sidney and novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Alcotts sheltered numerous slaves under their roof, though the exact number isn’t known due to the secrecy necessary in running the underground railroad. The house is now open to the public as part of Minute Man National Historic Park and seasonal guided tours are available.

This yellow farmhouse in Northampton was a busy stop on the underground railroad. Samuel Hill first opened his home’s doors to runaway slaves in the early 19th century before selling it to Abel Row in 1849, who then sold it to his nephew. All were abolitionists who helped escaped slaves find work and passage to Canada.

This small cottage home in Brookline was a bustling stop on the underground railroad. It was built in 1844 and belonged to William Ingersoll Bowditch, a local selectman and staunch abolitionist. Along with escaped slaves, the home provided sanctuary for the son of abolitionist John Brown after his father’s execution. John Brown was put to death after conducting a botched raid on Harper’s Ferry in Virginia.