A Hidden Chapter of Springfield History

Today, it is easy to look at Springfield’s historic homes, churches, farms and roads and think primarily about architecture or industry. But some of those same buildings and roads were once part of a much more consequential story.

A wagon arriving late at night

A light in a window

Food carried quietly to a barn

Someone hiding upstairs while another person kept watch

A journey continuing north the following evening

These small acts formed part of a national struggle over slavery and freedom.

Springfield’s history reminds us that the great events of American history were not always confined to famous battlefields or the halls of Congress. Sometimes they happened quietly in Vermont kitchens, barns and living rooms.  And sometimes they depended on one person deciding to open the door.

Noah Safford: From Southern Businessman to Abolitionist

Noah Safford was born in 1789 and became a successful inventor and manufacturer. He developed and patented straw-cutting machines that were sold throughout the country.

His business took him into Virginia and other slaveholding areas, where he witnessed slavery firsthand. According to History of the Town of Springfield, those experiences profoundly changed him. He saw enslaved people being sold and transported to the rice and cotton plantations and became an outspoken opponent of slavery.

The Springfield town history states that Safford subsequently declared “eternal war” on slavery and that his home became a welcome shelter for fugitive slaves. He also insisted that anti-slavery speakers be allowed to speak from local pulpits and lecture halls—even though his views brought him considerable social criticism and ostracism.

Historical accounts identify not only Noah Safford but his wife, Nancy Safford, as participants in Springfield’s Underground Railroad activity.  Modern research into Vermont’s Underground Railroad identifies the Noah and Nancy Safford family as having assisted freedom seekers in Springfield. Researchers have also connected the Safford household with the story of a fugitive man who remained in Springfield, eventually married another fugitive, raised a family, and became part of the local community.

Nancy's involvement is worth emphasizing because stories of the Underground Railroad have often focused on the men whose names appeared in public records. Much of the real work, however, took place inside homes: preparing food, providing clothing, caring for exhausted travelers, and maintaining the secrecy needed to keep everyone safe.

Ephraim Wright: The Fugitive Who Stayed

Perhaps the most compelling Springfield story is that of Ephraim Wright.

Wright came to Springfield as a fugitive from slavery and found shelter with Noah Safford. Unlike many freedom seekers who continued north toward Canada, Wright eventually decided to make Springfield his home.

Local tradition says he stayed with the Safford family for several years.  He understandably feared being captured. One story recounts that Wright once believed he saw his former enslaver in Springfield. He hurried back to the Safford home and asked to be hidden.  Another story illustrates just how deeply the fear of recapture stayed with him. Wright was said to walk with his head habitually turned slightly over his shoulder, watching for anyone who might be following him.  When someone asked what he would do if he saw his former master approaching, Wright reportedly answered: “I think I should fight.”

The story captures something important that can be lost when we talk about the Underground Railroad purely in historical terms. These were not simply anonymous travelers moving from one “station” to another. They were people living under extraordinary circumstances, carrying the fear of capture with them even after reaching Vermont.

He married another fugitive woman who had also traveled through the Underground Railroad. Together they established a home and raised three children in Springfield. The family became part of the community and joined the local Congregational Church making Wright’s decision to remain in Springfield demonstrates that the town was not simply a place to pass through. For at least one freedom seeker, it became home.

Remembering Springfield’s Freedom Seekers and Abolitionists

The stories of Noah and Nancy Safford and Ephraim Wright deserve to be remembered as part of Springfield’s broader history.  These accounts connect our community to one of the defining moral struggles of American history and remind us that Vermont’s history was not separate from the national debate over slavery.  Springfield was a small Vermont community, but its residents were connected to events that reached as far as plantations in the South and freedom communities in Canada.

The evidence also reminds us to be careful with the phrase “Underground Railroad.” Some details survive through family tradition and oral history rather than contemporary documentation, and historians appropriately distinguish between documented evidence and later recollection. But the convergence of local histories, family memories and modern scholarship provides strong evidence that the Safford household played a role in assisting freedom seekers.

That makes this more than a fascinating local legend.  It is a piece of Springfield’s history.  And it is a history worth bringing back into the light.