Best properties on the market

1. Ann Arbor, Mich. Built in 1835, the five-bedroom Josiah Beckley House was used to smuggle fugitive slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Beckley himself published the abolitionist paper Signal of Liberty. The home features wide plank cherry floors and a master suite with fireplace. $595,000. Matt White, Edward Surovell Realtors, (734) 904-9785

2. Falmouth, Mass. This five-bedroom home, constructed in 1855, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The root cellar of the house was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The interior preserves many original features, such as horsehair plaster walls and Sandwich glass windowpanes. $799,000. Denise Almeida, Vincent Associates, (508) 548-6500

3. New Milford, Conn. Originally called the Wanzer Farm, this property was once owned by Quakers who provided a safe haven for runaway slaves. The four-bedroom home dates to before 1780, and the two-acre property features a large cow barn and stone walls. $449,500. Linda McCaffrey, McCaffrey Realty Professionals, (203) 775-3634

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4. Rouses Point, N.Y. The Ezra Thurber home was built in 1818 on Lake Champlain. A historic marker identifies it as a site visited by James Monroe and later used by the Underground Railroad. $725,000. Brian Dominic, Sotheby’s International Realty, (518) 593-6136

Steal of the week

5. Scipio, N.Y. Built in 1845, this four-bedroom fieldstone colonial includes five fireplaces, a four-car garage, and two barns. Runaway slaves are said to have hidden beneath the plank floorboards in a bedroom closet on the second floor of the home. $399,900. Kathy Walton, RealtyUSA.com, (315) 685-0111

6. St. Johnsville, N.Y. This three-story 1830s stone gristmill is set on a natural gorge with a stocked stream and waterfalls. The interior features exposed wood beams and wide plank flooring. Used as a station on the Underground Railroad, it has tunnels that are still accessible through a trapdoor in the basement. The property also includes a 2,600-square-foot Victorian home and a carriage house. $995,000. Sharon Caggianelli, Coldwell Banker Prime Properties, (518) 640-4242

7. Dublin, Ohio Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this three-bedroom brick house was home to one of the town’s first doctors, Eli Pinney. Pinney helped escaped slaves travel north to Canada; documents state that the slaves would climb the riverbank and talk to the doctor through a tube that ran through the side of the house. Dr. Pinney fed the slaves and allowed them to rest in the horse stable at the back of the property. $649,000. Bonnie Georgia, RE/MAX Premier Choice, (614) 436-0330