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NY — New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, a runaway slave, Abigail Hopper, William Lloyd Garrison all graced these floors. Windows were broken; valuables raided and fires set here during the Draft Riots in 1863. History was made at 339 w 29th street in Chelsea – but no one knew until just recently, when historian Fern Luskin found a letter proving this now shrouded row house to be the only known surviving Manhattan stop on the Underground Railroad.

The drama that you learned in history class — Harriet Tubman and other slaves risking their lives for a chance at freedom — literally happened in this home. This home which now could be getting a makeover with a brand new 5th story to tower above the rest on this block.

It is like taking a slice of our important history and lopping it off for with a serrated knife that’s how I see it,” cried Luskin. Her fellow historian, Julie Finch agrees saying, “this block is a testimony to what everybody in the city went through during the Draft Riots.”

Read more at NBCNY