Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Massachusetts Leominster Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House

Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House

This unassuming Massachusetts residence was built with a trap door to hide escapees on the Underground Railroad.

Leominster, Massachusetts

Added By
kensears37
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House   Ken Sears
Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House   Ken Sears
Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House   Ken Sears
  terryqluvsbunnies / Atlas Obscura User
  terryqluvsbunnies / Atlas Obscura User
Drake House after renovations   terryqluvsbunnies / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Sitting in the middle of an ordinary neighborhood just outside of downtown Leominster, Massachusetts sits a former home of a well known abolitionist couple who purpose built a hidden trap door in their front room as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Frances and Jonathan Drake, well known abolitionists, built their unpretentious house in Leominster in 1848. As fairly open supporters of abolition, the couple could not simply use their home as a safe house along the Underground Railroad, without suspicion. Thus the couple, when constructing their home, built a secret trap door into the floor of the front parlor where they could hide escaped slaves as they made their way to the North and Canada.

The Drakes harbored a number of slaves who were on the run, but likely their most well-known charge was Shadrach Minkins, a slave in Virginia who escape in May, 1850. Minkins would be one of the first slaves to be recaptured under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. However he was famously rescued right from the courthouse when 200 people stormed the room and helped Minkins get away. He would stay with the Drakes for four days before being finally secreted to the freedom of Canada. The Drakes also hosted such anti-slavery luminaries as William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglas.

After falling into disrepair in the 20th century, the Drake House was finally included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, and purchased in 2012 by the Leominster Historical Society and the city. An official stone marker has been erected outside of the site which is hoped to be converted into a museum devoted to the Drakes and the Underground Railroad. 

Related Tags

Eccentric Homes Slavery Underground Railroad Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

kensears37

Edited By

alleywaykid, EricGrundhauser, terryqluvsbunnies

  • alleywaykid
  • EricGrundhauser
  • terryqluvsbunnies

Published

November 25, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_H._and_Jonathan_Drake_House
  • http://www.telegram.com/article/20130703/NEWS/130709873/0
  • http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2007-02-09/your_city/005.html
  • http://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=LEO.152
Frances H. and Jonathan Drake House
21 Franklin Street
Leominster, Massachusetts, 01453
United States
42.521647, -71.761467
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Grave of Joseph Palmer

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Johnny Ro Veterans Memorial Park

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Birthplace of Johnny Appleseed

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leominster

Leominster

Massachusetts

Places 4

Nearby Places

Grave of Joseph Palmer

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Johnny Ro Veterans Memorial Park

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Birthplace of Johnny Appleseed

Leominster, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Leominster

Leominster

Massachusetts

Places 4

Related Stories and Lists

9 Places to Deepen Your Knowledge of the Underground Railroad

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • Elmira, New York

    John W. Jones Museum

    A historical home in upstate New York honors the work of John W. Jones, a formerly enslaved man who was a major agent for the Underground Railroad.

  • Cambridge, Maryland

    ‘Take My Hand’

    This Harriet Tubman mural went viral for kids interacting with it.

  • The Corbit-Sharp House is a 22-room Georgian manor that was built during the late 18th century.

    Odessa, Delaware

    Corbit-Sharp House

    This historic Georgian mansion contains a hidden room that was used to harbor a fugitive in the days of the Underground Railroad.

  • The Abyssinian Meeting House is the third-oldest standing African American worship center  in the U.S.

    Portland, Maine

    Abyssinian Meeting House

    This once-forgotten African American cultural hub was an important stop on the Underground Railroad.

  • The former site of the inn is now a municipal plaza named Seaford Gateway Park.

    Seaford, Delaware

    Site of the Tilly Escape

    In October 1856, Harriet Tubman escaped arrest at this site while attempting to reunite an enslaved woman named Tilly with her fiancé.

  • Statue of Tubman.

    Church Creek, Maryland

    Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park

    The grounds of former plantations where abolitionist Harriet Tubman spent her youth enslaved are now a museum to her incredible life.

  • A brick colonial home with a green door and a green-shuttered window

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Lewis and Harriet Hayden House

    Former home of an abolitionist couple who escaped slavery and established the most active Underground Railroad stop in Boston.

  • San Francisco, California

    Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial Park

    One of the smallest parks in San Francisco honors the legacy of the "Mother of Civil Rights in California."

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.