Finney Barn

Seymour Finney conducted one of the principal passenger depots of the underground railroad in the Detroit area. A tailor by trade who later became a hotel-keeper, he assisted fugitive slaves in the years before 1861. In 1850 he purchased a site where the Finney Hotel later stood and erected a large barn that he operated with his tavern. Strongly sympathetic to the abolitionist cause, he used every means to help escaping slaves cross the river into Canada. Detroit was one of the most important stations on the route to Canada, and if a fugitive reached the city, he was comparatively safe. Finney Barn served as a hiding place for runaways until they could reach the river bank and freedom.

Detroit, Michigan · United States