Tory House – Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Sitting on the north side of the Common sites the house that was built by Joseph Leonard, a fifth-generation descendent of James Chilton of the Mayflower. The house was built in 1698. After a couple of sales the house ended up in the possession of Colonel Josiah Edison, head of the local militia and, for twelve years, representative to the General Court. The house is called the Tory House because Josiah sided with the British, and in 1774 a popular frenzy forced him to seek the protection of the British Army in Boston. His house was confiscated by the town in 1776. It as sold to Isaac Lazell in 1779.
In the early 18th century it served as a public house, and later that century as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The famous slaves, William and Ellen Crafts, were sheltered here on their way north.
The house is now a private home and not open to the public.
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