Farmington, Connecticut was involved twice during a period of over eighty years of black suffrage. Settled in 1640, the town was a busy crossroads for almost 150 years when, in the 1780s, and until the 1860s, the town was an important stop or transit point on the Underground Railroad. Many local abolitionists helped to feed, hide, protect, guide and transport thousands of fugitive slaves on their way north. Farmington was known as "Connecticut's Grand Central Station" on the Underground Railroad.

View the 1796 Elijah Lewis house where fugitive slaves were
hidden in the side of the basement fireplace in a 'hidy-hole'.

Farmington meetinghouse
where freed Amistad slaves worshipped.

The second period was only eight months, eight lost or forgotten months in the pages of history, when the remaining 36 Amistad captives, now free, were brought to Farmington after winning their appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court in March of 1841. The Amistad Mendi lived in town until November when they returned to Africa. While here they raised money for their return by telling their stories, giving autographs, performing African music on instruments they made, singing hymns and sitting for their portraits during abolitionist tours throughout Connecticut and New England.

This tour is a blending of both the Underground Railroad and Amistad and follows Farmington's Black History Freedom Trail to sites and locations throughout town. Learn the whole story on this award-winning daily, two hour guided bus tour.

See the documented Timothy Wadsworth house which had a hiding place in the attic and another in the basement for fugitive slaves. Wadsworth and his family hid fugitives on canal freight boats which passed behind their house on the Farmington Canal.

Only on our guided bus tour can you hear their stories, see the same locations, view from the outside former 'station houses' where fugitive slaves were hidden by 'conductors' and hear about the 'hidy-holes'. See from the outside the homes of the three men who sponsored the Africans from the Amistad, visit the 1771 church to photograph and look inside through large, ancient windows to see where the seats for "colored" were located and see where the Amistad Africans sat in the balcony. See where the Amistad Africans lived, went to school, the bridge they crossed to reach the meadows and see where they farmed. Visit Riverside Cemetery to see graves of town abolitionists and the final resting place of Foone, one man who was on the Amistad who drowned in the Farmington Canal.

Available Daily - About two hours.

Please click-on step-on guide for prices.

Get additional information , from our book . This tour is also available on cassette tape , or the author can give a slide presentation to your group, school, church, college, retirement home, historical society or organization.

Grave of Foone, one of Amistad slaves
who drowned in the canal basin.

John Treadwell Norton House
home of an abolitionist
who sponsored the freed Amistad slaves.

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For reservations, questions, information, brochures, book and tape orders contact:

Contact us by E-mail heritagetrails@charteroaktree.com

Heritage Trails Sightseeing Tours
P. O. Box 138
Farmington, CT 06034-0138
Phone and Fax 860 677-8867

For brochures or information please advise which tours interest you. Free postage within USA. Outside USA send a stamped, self-addressed business-sized envelope for brochures & information.