William Winters Neighborhood

The Winters Neighborhood: A Refuge in Deep River

The development of the Winters Neighborhood in Deep River offers insight into the lives of those who escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. Among them was Daniel Fisher, who fled from South Carolina to Philadelphia with the help of abolitionist networks.

According to his personal account:

“In company with some Philadelphia colored people, I was taken to New York, and it was there I met members of the Abolition party… At New York, I was put on board a steamboat for New Haven… On arrival, a colored man took me to the Tontine Hotel, where a woman gave me a part of a suit of clothes… I was fed and made comfortable, and then directed to Deep River with instructions that upon arriving there, I was to inquire for George Read of Judge Warner.”

Fisher made the arduous journey on foot from New Haven to Deep River, where he settled and changed his name to William Winters to protect his identity. To further evade capture and the threat of being returned to slavery, he wore a wig as a disguise. Over time, Winters was joined by family and friends from the South, forming a resilient community in Deep River.

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