Lewis Hayden

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          In the year 1816 ^{[ 1 ]}, a boy named Lewis Hayden was born a slave in Lexington, Kentucky. He was the property of Adam Runkin, a Presbyterian Minster. Lewis dreamed that he would one day be free from the torment of slavery. His mother was from mixed heritage, both Caucasian and Indian and Master Runkin kept her has a milk woman on the family dairy farm. The master sold her to a man at the Masonic lodge and that was the last time he saw of his mother.

          Lewis escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad to Detroit. Later, he moved to Massachusetts with his new wife Harriet. They became influential leaders in the abolitionist movement in Boston. Many political activists worked out of the clothing store Lewis owned on Cambridge Street and in his home on Phillips Street (then Southac Street). Although his house was built in 1833, Lewis moved into his home as a tenant in 1849. Francis Jackson, a friend of Lewis and also the treasurer of the abolitionist organization, bought the house to assure that Hayden would not be harassed in his Underground Railroad activities. Unfortunately, Hayden's own rescuer had been arrested for helping him to freedom. This provided an impetus for Hayden's desire to help other fugitives. Eventually, Hayden was able to raise $650.00 to buy freedom from his former owner, which resulted in his rescuer receiving a pardon and being released from jail.

          In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, allowing slaveholders to reclaim escaped slaves from the north. Fortunately, Jackson's estate sold the house to Harriet Hayden in 1865, giving the Hayden family both ownership and protection. Their home became a frequent stop on the Underground Railroad to the north. In fact, legend has it that the Haydens even kept kegs of gunpowder under their front steps. If bounty hunters came to their house, the Haydens would stand in the doorway holding candles and explain that they would rather drop the candles, igniting the home before giving up fugitive slaves.

          Not only did Lewis protect runaway slaves, but he also served the Union in the Civil War. He was a recruiting officer for the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and was elected to the State Legislature in 1873. Lewis also held the position of Messenger to the Secretary of State from 1859 until his death in 1889. His wife, Harriet, survived Lewis and created a scholarship fund in her will for black students attending Harvard Medical School.  

[Kyle Schroeder]