Historic NJ estate that had ‘important role’ in underground railroad lists. Take a look
A beautiful brick home that played a significant part in this country’s history has listed in Salem, New Jersey, for $285,000.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom estate is known as the Samuel Clement House.For a time, it housed Amy Hester Reckless, a former slave who was a significant part of the Underground Railroad, according to the listing on Zillow.com.
“Enslaved and mistreated by Robert Gibbon Johnson’s family at 90 Market, Amy ran off with her child to Philadelphia, becoming a founding member of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and working with the predominantly-Black Female Vigilant Association,” the listing describes.
“Reckless was not only concerned with freeing women from slavery, but from sexual exploitation as well. In 1845, she and Hetty Burr co-founded the Moral Reform Retreat to shelter women “victims of vice”. It was the only shelter for African American women in Philadelphia.”
Reckless lived in this estate, which was the home of Samuel Clement, the half-brother of Quaker Abigail Goodwin. Both she and Goodwin worked “anti-slavery activities to support freedom seekers,” the listing says.
Included being listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the 3,542-square-foot estate offers up a lot of vintage features including:
Dramatic high ceilings
Pumpkin pine floors
10 fireplaces
English gardens
Gazebo
Koi pond
Full basement
The listing is held by Dawn Rapa of RE/MAX Connection Realtors.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Historic NJ estate that had ‘important role’ in underground railroad lists. Take a look."