Caesar Robbins House listed amongst Massachusetts Most Endangered Historic Resources
September 15, 2009
Contact: Jim Igoe or Erin Kelly, 617-723-3383
Historic house in Concord, home to several generations of early African-American families faces extremely unstable future, and impending demolition
The Caesar Robbins House in Concord has been named one of Massachusetts’ “Most Endangered Historic Resources”. Since 1993, this list is compiled annually by Preservation Massachusetts, the [...]
Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society Members
Members included:
Mrs. D. Gerrish, President
Miss Helen Louisa Thoreau, Vice President & Founding Member
Thoreau’s sister
The Thoreau home was a haven for fugitive slaves.
(1812–1849)
Mrs. Tewksbury, Treasurer
Mrs. Mary Brooks, Secretary & Founding Member
“Perfectly fearless” Mary Merrick Brooks, wife of Concord lawyer Nathan Brooks, was the cornerstone of the Concord anti-slavery efforts and she corresponded quite frequently [...]
How to make Brooks Cake
Brooks Cake Recipe
To raise funds for the antislavery cause, Mary Brooks baked and sold
her signature tea cake, widely known as Brooks Cake. It was served at
all Concord anti-slavery meetings. This tea cake tastes great with jam.
Ingredients
One pound flour (4 cups)
One pound sugar (2 cups)
Half pound butter (2 sticks)
Four eggs
One cup milk
One teaspoonful baking soda
Half-teaspoonful cream [...]
“Our Friend the Fugitive”
Join Minuteman National Park Park staff and volunteers for programs in the Untold Stories series. All programs are free and open to the public.
“Our Friend the Fugitive”
Sunday, September 6th, 2:00 P.M.
Sunday, October 25th, 2:00 P.M.
Minute Man Visitor Center, Lexington
The Wayside sheltered slave owners, the enslaved African of the Whitney family, and fugitive slaves. Join [...]
Peter Hutchinson
A descendant of former enslaved persons, Peter Hutchinson and his wife Nancy Dager of Danvers raised fived daughters (see #26). It is believed that Peter Hutchinson was the first African resident to vote in Concord in 1881 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetary.
The Garrisons
Jack Garrison was a self-emancipated person from New Jersey. He married Caesar Robbins’ daughter Susan and lived with Susan and their eight children in a second room added onto the Robbins’ house. A photograph of Jack Garrison hangs prominently in the Concord Museum.