Murphy Orchards

At a glance, Murphy Orchards might seem like a simple farm, but its historical footprint tells a much bigger story about the Underground Railroad in the Town of Newfane in Niagara County.

The farmstead was originally owned by four generations of the McClew family. During the War of 1812, the family may have built a secret room beneath their barn in which to hide themselves and their provisions from British soldiers. The barn itself burned in battle.

In 1850, newlyweds Charles and Anna Maria McClew moved to the property. They built a new barn on the original foundation, a big brick farmhouse, icehouse, and smokehouse. 

From 1850 to 1861, the McClews designated their farmstead as a safe house for people escaping from slavery on the Underground Railroad. Remember the secret room? It was still there, thirteen feet beneath the new barn and concealed by a trapdoor. 

The secret room was made of stone and mortar. It had a dirt floor and arched ceiling with five small pipes for air circulation and ventilation—because once the trapdoor was closed, the room and its inhabitants would have been plunged into complete and suffocating darkness. 

In the secret room, fugitives could rest and recover before continuing their journey on to Canada, where they could be free. Like other freedom seekers, it’s possible that some individuals made their way from the farm to border crossings in Niagara Falls by hiding in produce wagons headed to market.

When Carol Murphy purchased the 65-acre fruit farm in 1979, she didn’t know about its abolitionist history or that “the extended McClew family […] helped found the New York Farmers’ Society, which led to the New York Farm Bureau.” 

Today, Murphy Orchards is a commercial fruit farm and tourist destination. It features a picturesque tearoom, U-pick orchards, a gift store and educational exhibits in the old barn, Underground Railroad tours, and much more. 

Since the original farmhouse, barn, and orchard still stand much like they did in 1850, visitors can authentically learn about Underground Railroad activity at the site. On the working farm, they can also see real demonstrations “of how farming in the new American Colonies eventually led to the horrifying chattel slavery that existed for generations.” 

As for the secret room, visitors are not allowed to enter it due to dangerous conditions and the need to preserve its historic significance. But the trap door is still visible.

Murphy Orchards is now part of the Niagara Historic Trail, the New York State Heritage Trail, and the National Parks Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. 

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.