2019-11-07 00:53:24
211 Delaware Street New Castle, DE 19720 302-323-4453 www.history.delaware.gov and www.nps.gov/frst
Delaware’s most prominent abolitionists and Underground Railroad stationmasters, Thomas Garrett and John Hunn, were tried and convicted here for aiding the successful 1845 escape of the Hawkins family from slavery in Maryland. Found guilty of violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, Garrett and Hunn were fined thousands of dollars and faced financial ruin. The proslavery judge, Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the United States, presided over the trial. He would later deliver the controversial opinion in the Dred Scott case of 1857, denying African Americans citizenship. At the close of the trial in 1848, Garrett defiantly told the crowded courtroom, “if anyone knows a fugitive who wants a shelter, and a friend, send him to Thomas Garrett.”
The conviction did not stop Garrett’s activities. He continued to assist fugitives until the beginning of the Civil War.
In 1856, famed conductor and Garrett friend, Harriet Tubman, spent time in New Castle as she attempted to find aid in Wilmington for her group of freedom seekers. She lodged them in a “potato hole” for safety, at the home of an African-American friend somewhere in New Castle. Tubman’s story was recorded by Sydney H. Gay, as she passed through New York City toward the end of this particular mission.
The New Castle Court House Museum is one of the oldest courthouses (1732) in the United States and was designated a National Park Service Network to Freedom site, due to the Garrett trial.
Next Site
Head southeast on Delaware Street and turn left onto 2nd Street. Turn left onto Chestnut Street, and bear right onto Wilmington Road to cross the marsh. Bear left onto Wilmington Road. Merge onto Rt. 9 N, pass the exit for I-295, and turn left at Rogers Road. Bear right to merge with Business US 13 N. After crossing the Christina River, turn left onto 2nd Street. Turn left at King Street, which joins Market Street southbound. Proceed under the rail viaduct and turn left onto Rosa Parks Drive. Turn right into the first parking lot, and the park is adjacent to the east.
Previous Site
To Historic Odessa Foundation: Head northwest on Delaware Street and turn left on W. 6th Street. Turn right onto South Street, and immediately left onto W. 7th Street/Rt. 9. Proceed south on DE Route 9. At the refinery light, turn right onto DE Route 72 W. Turn left onto US 13 S. Turn left at DE Route 299/Main Street in Odessa. The visitor center is on the left at Second Street.
Page numbers for sites on this map can be found on page 4 in the table of contents.
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