By By EDWIN MODLIN II
edwin@wdnweb.com
Staff Writer
Plymouth has a new historical house, one more than likely used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Noted historian Carl Westmoreland, during his visit to Plymouth on Thursday, said the Armistead House, although currently in a dilapidated condition, probably was part of the system used to move slaves from the South and northward to freedom, with many slaves ending up in Canada. Westmoreland is senior historian for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. He inspected the house to determine if it had a connection to the Underground Railroad.
“When you walk in, you literally walk into (a) living museum of how the black middle class lived back then,” Westmoreland said of the 1800s. “The big question is whether it was used in the Underground Railroad or not. I’ll just say this … it’s an open invitation to more exploration.”
During his inspection of the house, Westmoreland said he saw many things, including the basement, that could have been used to help facilitate the Underground Railroad’s mission.
“Things of an obvious nature,” he said. “A secret hatch. A secret door.”
Westmoreland has telephoned archaeology departments at nearby colleges, requesting their help.
“That way, we can really do some good in the excavation process of the tunnels that were used,” Westmoreland said. “This man, (who lived in the house,) had the means to hide slaves and get them out in the middle of the night by way of boats. The house is just a couple dozen yards away from the river, so it was perfect for that.”
Westmoreland said continued research will seek to find court records from the 1800s and use them to determine if people liked the house’s owner and if there’s a written legacy about him.
“We need to raise funds to stabilize the building, to preserve it, preventing anymore dilapidation,” he said, “assuming it was used for the Underground Railroad, the first step to freedom.”
Westmoreland said he noticed a picture of historical significance which amazed him when he walked through the house.
“Above the fireplace, there’s a print of black soldiers who fought at San Juan,” he said. “I’ve only seen one other print before at a museum, several years ago. It was simply amazing.
“I think it’s a very significant building because of the distinct attributes it has.”
He said Plymouth is a community rich in history.
“It’s not all bad to explore the painfully dark history of the past,” he said. “It’s our history. Not black history. Not white history. But all of ours. It doesn’t say who we are. It tells us where we came from and how far we’ve come.”
“In doing more to preserve this house, which will take two to three years to get done,” he said, “I would not have made those calls and gone to this much trouble had I not thought it was really a part of the Underground Railroad, and a portion of history we need to preserve.”
According to Willie Drye, representative of Plymouth’s Small Town Main Street Committee, the house, eventually, will be turned into an Underground Railroad museum.