"Do you want to be slave or free?"

"Do you want to be slave or free?" (HM197E)

Location: New London, CT 06320 New London County
Buy Connecticut State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 41° 21.133', W 72° 5.733'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 499 views
Inscription
On this site, September 30, 1858, Police Court Judge Augustus H. Brandegee and Customs Collector John Perkings Mather freed a stowaway slave known as "Joe" by applying Connecticut's Personal Liberty Law against the federal Fugitive Slave Act. Judge Brandegee asked the stowaway, "Do you want to be slave or free?" The slave replied, "Free"This plaque was erected to celebrate the blessings of freedom.
Details
HM NumberHM197E
Tags
Year Placed1991
Placed ByThe Day
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 26th, 2014 at 2:45am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 742977 N 4581928
Decimal Degrees41.35221667, -72.09555000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 21.133', W 72° 5.733'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 21' 7.98" N, 72° 5' 43.98" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)860
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 138-174 Bank St, New London CT 06320, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?
© 2025  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us