Isaac Mason’s Escape Site Joins the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

A Legacy of Self-LiberationIn May 2025, the U.S. National Park Service named the Isaac Mason Escape Site to its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, one of only 31 new listings nationwide. This is a powerful acknowledgment of the courage of Isaac Mason, a man born enslaved in Kent County who self-emancipated from slavery and later published his story here in Worcester, MA in … Continue reading Isaac Mason’s Escape Site Joins the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

The House in which my Enslaved Ancestors Lived – maybe.

On a recent trip to Fishkill, NY, we visited the Garret Storm house. Rumor has it that our ancestor, Primus Storms, was enslaved by the Storm family. There is even a “Storm Slave Cemetery” in Fiskkill said to contain about 100 free and enslaved African-Americans connected to the Storm family and their neighbors. You can read about our visit to the cemetery here. Garrit (the … Continue reading The House in which my Enslaved Ancestors Lived – maybe.