Built around 1818, the residence of Quaker abolitionist Samuel Pleasants Parsons at 601 Spring Street is strongly believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. [via]
Oregon Hill
News For Oregon Hill, in Richmond, VA
Built around 1818, the residence of Quaker abolitionist Samuel Pleasants Parsons at 601 Spring Street is strongly believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. [via]
The Quaker/abolitionist history in Oregon Hill deserves more recognition. It gets short shift in comparison to some other Richmond history.
The linear/greenway park that goes down Belvidere is named after Parsons and the park at Laurel and Albemarle is named after another Oregon Hill Quaker/abolitionist, Pleasants.
When VCU moved the Jacob House, another historic Quaker house, from its original location near Main St., despite protests from neighborhood and community activists, a secret basement room was found which was probably Underground Railroad.
Trani promptly had the discovery paved over for his Engineering School parking lot.
The Jacob House is now on Cary Street. To his credit the developer Stephen Salomonsky Jr. gave it back to the Quaker community who then donated it to the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council.
Corrections.
The Jacob house was never on Main Street, it has always been on Cary. It was moved across the street to its present location on Cary in 1995.
The developer never gave the building to the Quaker community. The deed signed/transferred from S. Salomonsky’s corporation to the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council.
Maura, thanks for the corrections. I wrote the above comment in haste and should have been more accurate.
I was trying to make it clear that the Jacob House was originally north of where it is now.
http://www.richmondfriends.org/history/JHOut/index.htm
A community advisory committee that included Quaker members suggested that Salomonsky give it to OHHIC.
http://www.richmondfriends.org/History/JacobHouseDedication.htm
Here’s more from http://www.richmondfriends.org
1802 Quaker petition against slavery presented to the Virginia legislature. Among those signing this petition are Samuel Parsons (the father of Samuel Pleasants Parsons, whose house survives at 601 Spring Street in Oregon Hill) and James Ladd (the uncle of Elizabeth Ladd, who married Samuel Pleasants Parsons).