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Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson properties
Encyclopedia
The Nathan and Mary Johnson properties are a National Historic Landmark
(NHL) at 17-19 and 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts
. Originally two structures, one dating to the 1820s and an 1857 house joined with the older one shortly after construction. They have since been restored and now house the New Bedford Historical Society.
The Johnsons were free African-Americans
and Quakers who ran a meetinghouse
and are known to have sheltered escaped slaves using the Underground Railroad
from 1822 on. Both were also successful in local business; Nathan as a pharmacist
and Polly as a confectioner
.
One escaped slave who passed through the Johnsons' house was Frederick Douglass
, who settled in New Bedford in 1838. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2000, when it was designated an NHL.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
(NHL) at 17-19 and 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. Originally two structures, one dating to the 1820s and an 1857 house joined with the older one shortly after construction. They have since been restored and now house the New Bedford Historical Society.
The Johnsons were free African-Americans
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
and Quakers who ran a meetinghouse
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
and are known to have sheltered escaped slaves using the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
from 1822 on. Both were also successful in local business; Nathan as a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
and Polly as a confectioner
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
.
One escaped slave who passed through the Johnsons' house was Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
, who settled in New Bedford in 1838. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2000, when it was designated an NHL.