Now

Then

S. B. Pendleton water circa 1890

Obadiah Horsford’s house was located on the RHAM campus in the early 18th century. It started out as a simple two room house. A leanto addition was eventually built on to it. By the late 1800’s the house had fallen into decay and was demolished. He was one of the town’s early leading citizens. Obadiah Horsford was Hebron’s first physician. Congregational church services were held in his barn until the meetinghouse was built in Hebron center in 1716. Although Obadiah Horsford was not one of the Saybrook Legatees who initially owned all of Hebron, he was an early settler and became a major land owner. When he died in 1744, he was one of Hebron’s wealthiest citizens. Although Obadiah Horsford owned many items, he was not a slave owner. His son Daniel who inherited the house on this site owned two young African American slaves, Rose and Prince.

Think about it

Slavery was a cruel institution. New England’s slave market broke up African American families. Children were often sold away from their parents. If you were 8 to 10 years old, how would you feel if you were sold away from your parents to work on a stranger’s farm?

Use your imagination – what jobs might Rose and Prince do on a farm?

Where to go next

From here walk toward the old burying ground on the sidewalk along Route 316

Meet Your Neighbors QR Tours funded by the Hebron Greater Together Community Fund in conjunction with the Hebron Historical Society