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was also a trapdoor that led directly
into the basement,” Varner said. “From
the basement, you couldn't tell where
the door was.” Further scrutiny turned
up additional hidden trapdoors in the
living room and in one of the bed-
rooms.
Carol Mull, a member of the
Michigan Freedom Trail Commission
and an Underground Railroad
researcher, said that sites are often
found in communities served by cer-
tain churches.
“You can pretty much expect that
anywhere there was a Wesleyan
Methodist Church, there were aboli-
tionists,” she said. Some of the found-
ing tenets of the church involved doing
whatever possible to bring slavery to
an end. Certain Quaker sects and the
Wesleyan Methodists are among the
most commonly known anti-slavery
sympathizers, but people of all differ-
ent backgrounds played a role, too.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church is
shown east and north of the Kingsley
home.
During the Pumpkin Festival, the
museum will host children's games
beginning at 11 a.m. on both Saturday,
Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23. Tours of
the museum and the Kingsley House
will be available fromnoon until 5 p.m.
bothdays.
On Saturday, Balloonmeister Marc
Meyer will perform from 2 until 4 p.m.
and from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23,
Tina Sorice will create special face
paintings for children.
The museum is located at 11120
Hunt St. in Romulus. For more infor-
mation, call (734) 942-2340.
