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| The Old Stone House at Clinton, Iowa (from a postcard circa 1912.) |
The old stone house at 850 South Bluff Boulevard in Clinton, Iowa, was built sometime in 1838 or 1839. In its early days, the home served as a stopping point for mail riders and travelers. Over time, as the civil war approached, the home became a stop along the underground railway slaves traveled on their quest for freedom.
No one can say how many former slaves sought sanctuary there—100, 200, maybe more. Many stayed for just a day, others it is said left a lasting imprint on the area.
A 1922 article in the Clinton Herald reported strange goings on around the house. “Haunted!” said Isabel Chatterton. “Yes. By the spirits of terror-stricken black men who were racing their way toward freedom.”
Some people doubted the stories, but Isabel held to her guns. If you spent a night there and opened your eyes, you would “see their dusky forms flitting in and out of the old stone house.” And, if you listened, you would hear the voices of the black folk whispering, “Bress, you Mr. White Man.”
(Information from the Clinton Herald. September 22, 1922.)
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