Wilmont Kreis

Finney’s Barn:
Those of you who have read THE MEDALLION are familiar with the notorious Seymour Finney and his barn. A tailor by trade, Seymour Finney was also one of Detroit’s strongest and most clever abolitionists. Active in the movement and the early Underground Railroad, he took action when the Fugitive Slave Act became law. He opened a tavern near what is now State and Griswold, then he opened a hotel with a large barn ostensibly to hold carriages and horses. Interestingly, his facility was called a temperance house. His barn was used to hide runaway slaves until they could be transported to Canada. He welcomed slave-catchers in his tavern to draw their attention away from the real facility.