"Thus [our] homestead doors stood ever open with a welcome to any of the workers against slavery..." ~Ellen Jackson, Annals from the Old Homestead
Many people visit Historic Newton because they know the 1809 Jackson Homestead is a documented stop on the Underground Railroad. But the story of the abolitionist Jackson family is only one of many compelling accounts of freedom-seeking in nineteenth-century America.
This exhibition, an online version of the Seeking Freedom in 19th-Century America exhibit presented at the Jackson Homestead & Museum in 2004-2005, explores American slavery and anti-slavery activity through four stories of individuals with ties to Newton who sought their own freedom or assisted others in gaining freedom. The exhibition also reveals how subsequent generations defined and preserved evidence of freedom.
"With a Welcome to
any of the Workers
Against Slavery"
Newton's Jackson family was strongly Abolitionist — William Jackson gave "his time, money and much of his thoughts to the abolition of slavery," wrote his daughter Ellen. But even behind the doors of the Jackson Homestead there wasn't unanimous agreement on how to end slavery...
The exhibit "Seeking Freedom in 19th-Century America" was developed from the resources and collections of The Newton History Museum. For more about the exhibit, credits, and resources, click below.