IN THE BASEMENT of The Fussell House there exists a sub-basement also know as a “root cellar.” The photos show stairs leading down to the root cellar and the interior of its barrel-vaulted chamber. Runaway slaves would hide in the root cellar if the slave catchers were searching the home. At the far end of the chamber was an entrance to a tunnel (the bricked up area in the photo) which led out to a shallow well near the barn. If a slave was in danger of being discovered he could escape through the tunnel and wait out until the slave catchers had gone or be transported to another stop.
In the event that the basement was being searched, boards were laid across the floor covering the hole from which the root cellar was accessed. A layer of earth was sprinkled over the wooden planks as well as the entire basement floor creating the look of one seamless floor. This was an effective way to camouflage the existence of the root cellar. “Quakers almost as good as colored . . . they call themselves friends and you can trust them every time.”
– Harriet Tubman |
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