John Randall House (formerly known as Randall's Ordinary Landmark Inn & Restaurant) Route 2 This property is probably the most interesting of the 19 along the Underground Railroad route. There is a ton online about this property - the best of which I'll copy and paste here. I had mentioned to a knowledgeable … [Read more...]
URR Trail: Manchester
Hart Porter Homestead/Outbuilding 465 Porter Street I've no information on this stop along the Underground Railroad. But I can verify that the whole family drove by it with me after a visit to an in-town children's museum. This is located in the nicest part of Manchester, that's for sure. Update! From the … [Read more...]
URR Trail: Middletown (2)
1. Benjamin Douglas House 11 South Main Street A rather handsome stop along the Underground Railroad. Benjamin Douglas (1816-1894) was a prominent abolitionist in Middletown. Given his abolitionist sentiments, his home may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. In 1839, he was one of 11 members of the … [Read more...]
URR Trail: Farmington (3)
Underground Railroad Trail in Farmington 3 Locations as of May 2013 I should note that with a sweeping 2011 update of the CT Freedom Trail site, Farmington seems to have lost two Underground Railroad stops. Oh well - though one remains over on the Amistad Trail. From the 1780's to the 1860s, Farmington was an … [Read more...]
Freedom Trail: Bloomfield (Removed)
Francis Gillette House, Bloomfield Address redacted I have no idea why or when it happened, but this house is no longer part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail. I've decided to keep this page here, however, because I think it's a cool story. I began my tour of this far-ranging trail close to home... in … [Read more...]
13. Freedom Church
Freedom Church Middletown Heritage Trail Site 13 Cross Street (by Freeman Athletic Center) This church originated in 1823 in the home of Asa Jeffrey on this spot. A true church building was not erected until 1830 under the leadership of Jeheil Beman. Beman, the son of a Revolutionary War soldier and the son of … [Read more...]
Connecticut Freedom Trail
Connecticut Freedom Trail 130+ Sites Statewide In recognizing the importance to Connecticut of numerous sites in the state that are associated with the heritage and movement towards freedom of its African American citizens, the Connecticut General Assembly in 1995 authorized that these locations be developed into a … [Read more...]
Underground Railroad Trail Intro
Let's Take This Conversation Underground 29 Sites 17 Towns all over Connecticut These 29 sites, scattered all over the state, comprise an important part of the greater Connecticut Freedom Trail. This trail (along with the Amistad and Freedom Trails) were updated and expanded in early 2011. So at one point I was … [Read more...]
Freedom Trail: Barkhamsted
Barkhamsted Lighthouse Archaeological Site Peoples State Forest, Barkhamsted September 2007 This site is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, which I'll address first on this page. In the 2020's a new trail and lots of signage was added to this site. From the Freedom Trail folks: At this site was a village … [Read more...]