Thomaston

Photo by Carol A. Hanny

Beecher House
South Main Street
Just a foundation on the west side of the road.



Bradstreet House
Main Street, across from library
Built by Blakeslee
Supposedly had tunnel, no evidence remaining.  One report was that there was a crawl space that was later bricked up.  Another said there was
a tunnel under the main stairs.  When we investigated and did resistivity studies, they showed some anomalies, but nothing definite.  A rock wall
in the basement did not look normal.  And there were some funny "bands" across the driveway.  Those areas could have been filled in.
An email correspondence from a family member discussed "that tunnel in the cellar, that's where they hid all those black people..."
And, "I think that space was on the other side of the stairwell, that was bricked up, and who knows may not have been a tunnel all the way out back,
may have gone to the Feed and Grain Store...it maybe was just a hole.
Another cousin reported, that "she went into it pretty far, up to the grange door, but Grandfather Bradstreet whipped her (with a horse whip)
and said, "never go in there again", and that was the only time he ever touched her, but he was so upset about it...so my Dad says that maybe the
tunnel or crawlspace was probably collapsing, and maybe he was worried about it, but maybe it just went out to the feed and grain store, behind
there, maybe it went out at an angle, it was on the other side of the stairwell, it has bricks and plaster over it..."
Look for more information on the internet.


Another site is up on Route 6 from Thomaston, above the Baptist church, which was Episcopal at one time. 
It used to have tunnels from the church to a chicken house, and other buildings.   Also mentioned was a slaughterhouse, a yellow house,
a barn, a farmhouse, with a space by the chimney, and something about a grate in the ground.
GPS  N 41-40-34  /  W 73-3-07
(email correspondence)



The minister of the First Congregational Church, Harvey Denison Kitchel (1812-1895) was a strong abolitionist.

Seth Thomas was also an abolitionist.