B&Bs WITH UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TIES

Commemorate Martin Luther King’s Birthday and Black History Month by staying in places where slaves were welcomed

Austin, TX (1-6-09)– Throughout January and February, Americans celebrate the history and accomplishments of African-Americans with Martin Luther King’s birthday in January and Black History Month in February. In recognition, BedandBreakfast.com describes B&Bs that were once “conductors” or “stations” on what came to be known as the Underground Railroad. Relive history with a stay at one of these historic BedandBreakfast.com member inns, listed below, alphabetically by state.

Amelia Island Williams House, Fernandina Beach, FL: According to family stories, Marcellus A. Williams  bought this home in 1859, allowing escaped slaves following the Underground Railroad to use his home as a haven during their journey to freedom. Built in 1856, this mansion included a trap door in the dining room closet, offering access to a secret room where slaves could hide.

Mason House Inn and Caboose Cottage, Bentonsport, IA: During the Civil War, the Mason House was used as a "holding hospital" for wounded soldiers awaiting transport by train or boat to the hospital in nearby Keokuk. It was also a station on the Underground Railroad.  Contemporary accounts describe delivering food at night to the farm’s hayloft where escaped slaves hid.

The Steamboat House, Galena, IL: Built by a steamboat captain and his physician wife, the couple raised 10 children in the house.  She participated in the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War.  A tunnel still remains under the house, which offered an escape route for slaves.

Inn at Aberdeen, Valparaiso, IN: The renovation of this 18th century home revealed a hidden ladder beneath the old entry closet floor, leading the owners to believe that the house served as a way station for the Underground Railroad. The inn linked a known “safe site” in nearby Hebron with other locations to the north.

Christopher’s B&B, Newport, KY: Throughout 2009, stay in the Loretta or Beverly Rose Junior Jacuzzi room and receive two adult tickets to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Through museum exhibits and films, learn how enslaved Black Americans were able to achieve freedom against overwhelming odds. The package price is $140 and includes a one-night stay and two adult tickets to the Freedom Center.

Hall Place B&B, Glasgow, KY: Here is one place where the Underground Railroad was literally underground. A cave under this B&B linked to a network of other caves that eventually surfaced at a nearby spring. Access to the caves through this B&B and a number of other nearby homes gave this area the nickname “Cave City”. Judge Christopher Tompkins, once a teacher for Abraham Lincoln and an Underground Railroad supporter, built Hall Place for his daughter. When he died, his will provided lifetime care for each of his slaves.

Ashley Manor, Barnstable, MA: Dating back to 1699, this historic B&B has a secret passage that connects the upstairs and downstairs, thought to be a hiding place for Tories during the Revolutionary War, and later, a temporary hideout for slaves. Allegedly, slaves climbed down a ladder, still found in the closet of the King George Suite, to reach the cellar, then fled into the night.





The Tern Inn & Cottages, Harwich, MA: Under the living room rug, a small round door leads to a unique little round cellar that has survived 150 years of restoration. The trap door is still easily found, as the floor sags and creaks when one walks over the spot. The cellar was used to hide runaway slaves awaiting ships going to Canada.

Lathrop House, Springfield, MA: This inn’s location is convenient for visiting the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, CT, providing an intimate glimpse into the life of the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Also about a half hour away is the Connecticut Freedom Trail, a tour of buildings reportedly used on the Underground Railroad.

Samuel Fitch House, Westford, MA: The innkeeper grew up in this home and spent hours climbing through a basement tunnel believed to be part of escaped slaves' route on the Underground Railroad. The childhood bedroom has a walk-in closet with bookshelves in front of a removable wall, where it is believed slaves hid next to the warmth of the house's chimney. Guests can still explore the tunnels and see the movable walls on historic inn tours.

Cambridge House B&B, Cambridge, MD: Here’s a great lodging choice for those seeking to learn about Frederick Douglass and locally born Harriet Tubman. Visit the Harriet Tubman Museum, the Bethel Methodist Church where her family worshipped, the Stanley Institute -- a 19th-century African-American schoolhouse -- and follow the Underground Railroad trails through Dorchester and Caroline Counties.

Munro House, Jonesville, MI: Believed to be a station on the Underground Railroad, this house’s proximity to the Canadian border and the abolitionist stance of the original owner, George Clinton Munro, makes this legend plausible.  What is left of a 100-foot-long stone-walled tunnel leads to the basement where a secret room still large enough to hold 12 adults once hid runaway slaves (with hidden access through a downstairs ceiling). Over 400 runaways allegedly spent at least a day hiding here on their way to freedom in Canada.

Escape Guest House, Brooklyn, NY: This B&B is just a short stroll from Plymouth Church, the “Grand Central Depot” of New York’s Underground Railroad. According to church history, slaves traveling to Canada were hidden in the tunnel-like basement beneath the church sanctuary; you can still visit there today. The church's first pastor, Henry Ward Beecher, was a dedicated abolitionist and younger brother to Harriet Beecher Stowe, famous author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. 

Inn by the Mill, Saint Johnsville, NY: The inn is comprised of a collection of 19th cent
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