Rokeby (Ferrisburg, Vermont)
Encyclopedia
Rokeby is an 18th-century house in Ferrisburg, Vermont that was a station on the Underground Railroad
before the American Civil War
. The house was the home for almost 200 years of the Robinson family, who were Quaker
miller
s, farmers, abolitionists
, authors, naturalists, and artists.
In the 1830s and 1840s, Rokeby served as a safe house along the Underground Railroad. Letters from the family of Rowland T. and Rachel Gilpin Robinson, devout Quakers and radical abolitionists, mention fugitive slave
s by name and in some detail.
Rokeby was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1997.
Located on Route 7, the 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) site includes the Robinson house, open by guided tour, with personal and domestic furnishings spanning 200 years, and eight agricultural outbuildings with permanent exhibits. Hiking trails cover more than 50 acres (202,343 m²) of the grounds. Rokeby is open from mid-May to mid-October each year.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The house was the home for almost 200 years of the Robinson family, who were Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
s, farmers, abolitionists
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, authors, naturalists, and artists.
In the 1830s and 1840s, Rokeby served as a safe house along the Underground Railroad. Letters from the family of Rowland T. and Rachel Gilpin Robinson, devout Quakers and radical abolitionists, mention fugitive slave
Fugitive slave
In the history of slavery in the United States, "fugitive slaves" were slaves who had escaped from their master to travel to a place where slavery was banned or illegal. Many went to northern territories including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed...
s by name and in some detail.
Rokeby was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1997.
Located on Route 7, the 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) site includes the Robinson house, open by guided tour, with personal and domestic furnishings spanning 200 years, and eight agricultural outbuildings with permanent exhibits. Hiking trails cover more than 50 acres (202,343 m²) of the grounds. Rokeby is open from mid-May to mid-October each year.