[MassHistPres] Underground Railroad and Chimneys

[Marian Pierre-Louis]

Recently I was touring an 18th century colonial in my area that had an
enclosed space around the chimney on the first floor that was supposedly
used for hiding runaway slaves.  The owner told me that he had heard that a
white chimney with a black cap was a symbol that the house was part of the
Underground Railroad.  Is there any truth to this?  If so, can you suggest
any sources that I can refer to for further information?   I did do a Google
search and found that others mentioned the same thing but I wasn't able to
find any definitive source to show me that it was anything more than
folklore.

 

Thanks!

 

Marian Pierre-Louis

Medway Historical Commission

Medway, MA 

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