On the trail of Amos Fortune

Most Americans have heard of the Underground Railroad, the secretive coalition of individuals who helped escaped slaves make their way to freedom in the north.  After reading a book in his third grade class called, Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates, my 9-year-old son became curious about the slavery and the lives of these people who were treated differently simply because of the color of their skin.

Thanks to the Internet, we learned that Amos Fortune was a slave who bought his own freedom at age 60, then moved to Jaffrey, NH where he started a tanning business.  Since my wife was an alumnus of Franklin Pierce College (Now Franklin Pierce University) in nearby Rindge, NH, we decided to bring the book to life and visit some of the sights we'd read about - and combine it with a side tour of the campus to see how things have changed since she graduated.

Our first stop was the Old Meeting House, behind which Amos was buried.  The meeting house structure was originally built in 1775 by Captain Samuel Adams, who is also buried here.  This building with its white clapboards, bell tower and spire, and lush green lawn is quintessential New England.

Meeting House, Jaffrey, NH

An old stonewall encompasses well-preserved grave stones dating back to the late 1700s.  Next the the meeting house is a horse barn with several stalls.  On the side of the horse barn is a sign that shows the location of some the the cemetery's more notable citizens, including Amos Fortune, his wife Violate, the Reverend Laban Ainsworth, who helped Amos get settled in town, and Willa Cather, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923 and wrote a number of books about frontier life on the Great Plains.

Gravestones of Amos Fortune and his wife Violate behind the Meeting House in Jaffrey, N H

On this beautiful, sunny spring day we took our time meandering around the cemetery, looking at the old headstones and the views of Mt. Monadnock that Amos Fortune frequently mentioned in the book.

After visiting the meeting house, we ventured across town to find Amos' house.  It was no surprise to us that his house was located on what is now called Amos Fortune Road. 

About a half mile up the road we came to the house which unfortunately was not what we pictured.  It was a dilapidated old Cape with some boarded up windows and an unkempt lawn.  Behind the house, the barn was also in need of attention.

On the bright side, however, it looked like someone was trying to renovate the building.  Since it is a private residence, we did not stop except to take a couple photos.

Jaffrey is a charming town with beautiful historic homes.  It was a pleasure to see for real, what we had read about in the book, and we were happy that we could bring the book to life for our son and ourselves.