James Paxton House

Another short walk brought us to the house of James Paxton, abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad. James Paxton, an attorney, also ran a nineteenth century hotel, catering in part to all the slave sellers and buyers flocking into the Washington area. Unknown to his guests, Mr. Paxton's Inn served, at least for a time, as a hideout for escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. Several narrow and carefully hidden staircases have been found in the house, leading some to conclude that Paxton was another "conductor" of escaped slaves.

On the hill behind the Paxton Inn and house is the mansion house of the plantation run by the Marshall family. Imagine the enslaved working in the fields, in eye shot of the Paxton Inn, hoping and dreaming of freedom so close and yet so far.