Do you ever wonder what kind of person it would take to be a stationmaster on  the Underground Railroad?  This person would have to be intelligent and clever, have a tremendous amount of courage, and have an incredible amount of faith in themselves and what they’re doing.  One such person was William Carman.

          Carman was a Quaker and abolitionist, as most Quakers were.  Carman’s house in Mecklenburg was a known stop on the Underground Railroad.  As a stationmaster, he transported slaves across Cayuga Lake on his ferry.  He then harbored them in his house at his own personal risk, for if he were caught he would face harsh punishment.  Peter Wixom, Carman’s son-in-law, followed in his footsteps.  Wixom’s house in Mecklenburg was also one of several homes of Quaker families in the area that were stations on the Underground Railroad.  The escaped slaves were hidden in a small room under the kitchen in the back of the house.

          Mecklenburg was a village in the town of Hector, which was part of Tompkins County, until 1854.  Hector was a small sanctuary to free blacks.  In 1820, 40 free blacks lived in Hector where the sizeable Quaker population offered them land and aide. 

          Quakers are an extremely religious group who believe in the individual connection with God.  Carman was one of the most prominent members of the Quaker community in Hector in the early 1820s; in fact he was one of the first members and was on the committee that built the first Quaker meetinghouse in Hector.  William Carman would always attend Wednesday night prayer meetings, usually wearing this hat.  The felted beaver fur hat was most likely made around 1837 in Ithaca by a local hat maker.

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Text written by Student Historian:    Jaclyn Sutton in 2004

11^th Grade

Dryden High School

Chuck Hanley’s US History class