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Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

The Temple of Refuge


In 1920 Plymouth celebrated the 300th anniversary of the landing of the “Pilgrims.”


Historic photo of the Hayden home on Philips Street (formerly Southac Street) in Beacon Hill, Boston, from the Massachusetts Archives. The home was a significant stop on the Underground Railroad, owned by abolitionists Lewis and Harriet Hayden.
Hayden home on Philips Street (formerly Southac Street) on Beacon Hill
- Massachusetts Archives Photo

Lewis Hayden settled in Boston in 1849 after spending time in Canada, Detroit and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Abolitionists helped fi nance this house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. A secret tunnel connected it to a neighboring home. Located on Beacon Hill, it had been a rooming house. The elegant doorway reflects a later remodeling.

From this home Lewis and Harriet Hayden helped over 100 fugitive slaves. Harriet took responsibility for the boarding house. Lewis opened a clothing store on Cambridge Street that served the needs of runaways facing the cold Boston winter. Abolitionist Henry Bowditch called Hayden’s home the “Temple of Refuge.”