The Underground Railroad, the network of abolitionists that harbored runaway slaves in the lead up to the Civil War, utilized many now-historic homes between the Southern slave states and the safety of Canada. Curbed has found five such homes, at least according to the brokerbabble, that are currently on the market, including The Brewer House in Robbinston, Maine, just across the bay from Canada. Built in 1828 for Captain John Brewer, a wealthy 19th Century shipbuilder, the Greek Revival mansion must have served as one of the final outposts on that long and perilous trek from servitude. Today, it's operated as a four-room bed-and-breakfast, with separate in-law apartment and gallery, and on the market for $675K.
? This Glen Head, N.Y. estate, built in 1838, sits on a site with plenty of history. Back in the 1770s, it was part of a Long Island farm until it was captured by the British. Now limited to 2.26 acres, the property seems to retain few traces of all that history. With six bedrooms and seven baths, the house is listed for $3.35M.
? Lying not far from Harrisburg, Penn., this stone structure is the cheapest on our list, listed for $175K. Built for the owners of a nearby flour mill in 1812, the home's stone walls measure three feet thick, so there's really no question as to the build quality. The interiors, however, could use some work.
? Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia suburb of Ambler, this stop on the Underground Railroad carries a much higher price tag, $825K. That sum brings unrestored historic relics, like the "corn crib" that was apparently used as shelter by those fleeing slavery. The intact house, built in the 1720s, has five bedrooms and four baths spread over 3,400 square feet.
? Some of the plantations from which the slaves escaped (or would have liked to escape) are also on the market, like this Hertford, N.C. estate with a "pre-Civil War dungeon." That ignominious feature joins four beds, 2.5 baths, and 25 acres in the $685K listing.
· The Brewer House [Sotheby's]
· Glen Head, NY [Zillow]
· 739 Siddonsburg Road [Zillow]
· 1634 E Butler Pike [Zillow]
· 3562 New Hope Road [Zillow]
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