WORCESTER—The house on Mower Street outside of Tatnuck Square has stood for more than two centuries.
Any home this old would have its own stories to tell, but this one is particularly compelling. The dwelling was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the former home of Abby Kelley Foster and her husband, Stephen Symonds Foster. Now, the home’s current owners are renovating it with the goal of sharing it with the community.
“This was more house than we were looking for, but there’s a large space above the barn,” owner Poppy Ibabao said, “and a one-bedroom carriage house apartment perfect for an Airbnb, so it turns out it was just what we were looking for. Eventually, we want to do yoga retreats, business meetings, and small weddings.”
Ibabao, her husband Josh Gray, and their children Swan Anderson, 20, and Stormy Gray, 15, moved into the home in May of 2018. The seven-bedroom, three-bath residence is the second-oldest home in the city.
“We wanted a home with character, the same as our old house,” Ibabao said. Previously, the family had rented a “Sears and Roebuck house” in West Boylston. “It had an attached barn and used to be a dance studio. We wanted to turn it into an Airbnb … and eventually a bed and breakfast.”
When it came time to buy the home, however, the family and the owners couldn’t agree on a price, so Ibabao and Gray jumped back into the real estate market, searching for the ideal place.
Though there is a sign designating the home as the “former residence of Stephen and Abby Kelley Foster,” Ibabao said they were not familiar with them. Judy Freedman Fask, the former owner, provided a detailed tour and outlined the history, and Ibabao and Gray moved forward.
“This was the last house we looked at, and the only one in Worcester,” Ibabao said. “We wanted it to be a little rural, and this certainly feels rural. We love it.”
The house was originally built by the Cook family somewhere between 1790 and 1810, using the Federal style architecture to present themselves as proper and wealthy Worcester residents. By the time the Fosters purchased it in 1847, the building had fallen into disrepair. They renovated it, and subsequent owners built additions to the rear and right sides of the home, as well as a two-story porch. The house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
Kelley, a Quaker, was an educated woman, having received instruction in spelling, grammar, botany and astronomy. The Quakers were firm believers in equality, and Kelley was a dynamic speaker and outspoken abolitionist and suffragette.
In fact, for five years, from 1874 to 1879, the Fosters refused to pay their property taxes, arguing that since Kelley, as a woman, could not vote, she was being taxed without representation. Each year, the house went to auction, and the Fosters’ supporters bought it and sold it back to them. These actions gave way to the name “Liberty Farm.”
Liberty Farm was notably a station on the underground railroad. As staunch abolitionists, the Fosters constructed false walls, hidden rooms, and secret sleeping areas, many of which remain today.
The carriage-house apartment has been listed on Airbnb for five years now. As an added bonus, Ibabao is a massage therapist, and guests can book a session with their stay.
“We called it ‘Liberty Farm Retreat’ and that’s just what we want to do,” Ibabao said.
The Ibabao-Gray family has been doing all the work themselves.
“We feel like we have the house almost where we want it,” she said. “We’ve redone the laundry room, we just need the utility sink, and then we’ll do the third floor. The idea is to maybe make it a suite for one of the kids. When the kids move out, we won’t need so much privacy, so then we can move to a bed and breakfast.”
Ibabao said though it’s been a lot of work, she and her family are excited about the next steps.
“It’s been five years in the making,” she said. “We want to share the character and the history of the home with the community.”
Christine M. Quirk is the former editor of Mothertown and has written for the Telegram & Gazette, Bay State Parent, and the Times & Courier. She is a novelist and an educator at a freelance writer and novelist and an educator at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public Elementary School in Worcester. She can be reached at cmqwriter@gmail.com
