Boston’s most defiant Underground Railroad stop

The Haydens’ Gunpowder-Protected Underground Railroad Station

Lewis Hayden knew what it meant to lose family to slavery.

Born in Kentucky in 1811, he fled north in 1844 with his wife Harriet and her son, sometimes using flour on their faces to pass as white.

They soon made their Boston home at 66 Phillips Street the city’s busiest Underground Railroad station.

When slave hunters came for the Crafts in 1850, Lewis had a bold plan – he’d blow up his own house with hidden gunpowder before giving anyone up.

Months later, he led twenty men who stormed a courthouse to free Shadrach Minkins. The Hayden House helped over 60 freedom seekers reach safety.

Their modest Beacon Hill home still stands today as powerful proof of extraordinary courage.

Slavery’s Cruelty Pushed Lewis Hayden to Action

Lewis Hayden was born a slave in Lexington, Kentucky in 1811. His mother had 25 children in total.

At age 14, Lewis watched his brothers and sisters get sold at auction.

His owner coldly said there was “no more harm in separating a family of slaves than a litter of pigs.”

The pain got worse when slave traders sold his first wife Esther Harvey and their son to Senator Henry Clay, then to the Deep South. Lewis never saw them again.

His own mother once tried to kill him as a child to save him from slavery’s horrors.

Family Bonds Sparked a Dangerous Escape Plan

In 1842, Lewis married Harriet Bell and took in her son Joseph. Losing his first family made him determined to keep his new family together.

Lewis got help from Methodist minister Calvin Fairbank and teacher Delia Webster for their escape. They took a big risk to get free.

During their journey, they covered their faces with flour to look white and hid Joseph under the carriage seat as they traveled through cold rain toward freedom.

Their Path to Freedom Cost Others Dearly

On a cold, rainy night in 1844, the Haydens left Lexington and reached Ripley, Ohio with their white abolitionist helpers. From there, they moved through the Underground Railroad to safety in Canada.

Their helpers paid a high price. When Fairbank and Webster returned to Kentucky, police arrested them both.

The driver got 50 lashes, Webster spent 2 years in jail, and Fairbank got 15 years. Later, Lewis raised $650 from 160 people to buy Fairbank’s freedom.

Boston Became Their Freedom Headquarters

After stops in Detroit and New Bedford, the Haydens settled in Boston in January 1846. Lewis opened a clothing store on Cambridge Street that did well, while Harriet ran a boarding house for extra money.

By 1850, they lived at 66 Phillips Street (then called Southac Street) in Beacon Hill.

They got more security in 1853 when Francis Jackson from the Vigilance Committee bought the house, which helped protect their Underground Railroad work.

Their Home Turned Into a Freedom Station

The Hayden house became Boston’s busiest Underground Railroad station by 1850. Boston Vigilance Committee records show they helped many freedom seekers between 1850 and 1860.

About 25% of the roughly 250 runaway slaves who came through Boston stayed with the Haydens. Famous writer Harriet Beecher Stowe visited in 1853 and met 13 escaped slaves gathered in one room.

She talked with them while researching her writing about slavery.

Kegs of Gunpowder Kept Slave Catchers Away

When slave catchers came looking for William and Ellen Craft in October 1850, Lewis took a bold stand.

He told them he had hidden kegs of gunpowder under his front steps and would blow up the whole house rather than let anyone take the Crafts back to slavery. Lewis armed himself and posted guards around the property.

His courage spread through the community, with 200 armed Black Bostonians promising to defend the Crafts “as long as life lasts.

Their House Turned Into a Fortress Against Slave Hunters

William Craft moved into the Hayden house for safety while the Vigilance Committee hid Ellen elsewhere in the city.

Lewis turned his home into what people called a “veritable fortress” with barricaded doors and armed defenders ready to fight.

Committee members followed slave catchers Hughes and Knight everywhere, watching and bothering them constantly.

After five tense days, the slave catchers left Boston when locals warned them nobody could guarantee their safety anymore.

Twenty Men Stormed a Courthouse to Free Shadrach

On February 15, 1851, Lewis led one of the boldest acts against the Fugitive Slave Act. When police captured Shadrach Minkins, Lewis gathered about 20 Black men who burst through two courthouse doors.

They grabbed Minkins from federal marshals and carried him through crowds to safety. Lewis and Robert Morris took Minkins away from the group and hid him in widow Elizabeth Riley’s attic on Southac Place.

Lewis Personally Drove a Midnight Escape Route

That same night, Lewis took charge of getting Minkins out of Boston. He drove him by horse and carriage from Beacon Hill to Watertown.

At 3 AM, they reached Concord where John J. Smith handed Minkins over to Francis and Ann Bigelow.

The Bigelows gave him food and rest, but Minkins could barely stay awake to eat breakfast after his tiring ordeal. Francis Bigelow then took him west to Leominster, where the next Underground Railroad connection waited.

The Government Failed to Stop Their Freedom Work

Nine abolitionists, including Lewis Hayden, faced treason charges for helping Minkins escape. Despite government pressure, friendly juries found all defendants not guilty.

President Millard Fillmore responded by sending federal troops to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law in Boston. Lewis ignored these threats and kept his Underground Railroad station running.

The failed court cases only made the abolitionists bolder in their resistance.

Their Fight for Freedom Left a Lasting Mark

Lewis recruited soldiers for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment during the Civil War and later served in the state legislature in 1873.

When Harriet died in 1893, she left money to Harvard Medical School to create the “Lewis and Harriet Hayden Scholarship for Colored Students.”

Today, their house at 66 Phillips Street still stands as a National Historic Site on Boston’s Black Heritage Trail.

Their courage and militant resistance helped make Boston famous nationwide as a city that fought back against slavery.

Visiting Boston African American National Historic Site, Massachusetts

The Boston African American National Historic Site at 46 Joy Street on Beacon Hill tells the story of Lewis and Harriet Hayden’s Underground Railroad work.

You need timed entry tickets for $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, free for kids 12 and under. Tours run at 10am, 12pm, or 2pm Tuesday through Sunday.

You’ll see the 1806 African Meeting House and 1835 Abiel Smith School with exhibits about freedom seekers who found refuge here.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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