#269 Follow the Underground Railroad

Since the Underground Railroad stretches from the deep south all the way to Canada, I figured if I visited a stop on the underground railroad, it would close enough to following it.

Years ago when I was first looking for a teaching job, I had an interview in Milton and drove past the Milton House. Looking like a cool building, I decided to put it on the (extended) bucket list without really knowing what it was. It sat on the bucket list all these years hiding in plain sight until earlier this year when I started to look for things to do around Lake Geneva for a Girls' Weekend with Stacy. Finding out it that it was part of the Underground Railroad definitely made this interesting building a whole lot more interesting.

The Milton House was opened in 1844 as an Stagecoach Inn. It is a hexagon house built with assistance with the same person who built the Octagon House in Watertown. Besides being hexagonal, it is also poured grout building -- one of few that remain standing. The Guests would pay $0.25 a night to stay in one of the rooms upstairs with up to 30 people in a room sharing either a double bed or sleeping sitting up on the floor. It also had a wing that had shops beneath and apartments above. The original structure was damaged beyond repair and a replica was built in its place.

Besides being a Stagecoach Inn, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Escaped slaves would enter the Goodrich Cabin which was used as a summer kitchen (i think), go down into the cellar and through a 45 foot long 3 foot high dirt tunnel to the basement of the Milton House. They would hide in the cellar until the conductor would let them know it was safe to travel to the next stop. While in the cellar, they could not talk as it would be heard upstairs and guests would get suspicious. For this reason only male slaves were hidden at the Milton House. When their restored the house, the made the tunnel high so when we went through it we didn't have to duck. It was still dark and my shoulders still hit the sides.We could have left the lights on but what fun is that.

The Goodrich Cabin

The Milton House exceeded my expectations. The $8 admission was well worth it. The only downfall was no cameras were allowed inside. If you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods, definitely make a stop at the  Milton House.