Basement Kitchen

Welcome to Spring Hill Farm! Though this audio tour gives a brief glimpse into our not-so-distant past, we will journey together through over 200 years of history! Our story begins with Thomas and Charity Rotch, Quakers from New England. Quakers valued SHEEP: Simplicity, Honesty, Education, Equality, and Pacifism. Keep these values in mind as you explore the home.

Thomas came from a wealthy whaling family in Massachusetts. His father and uncle owned ships attacked during the Boston Tea Party. Despite their wealth, the Rotches remained neutral in the Revolution, as many Quakers opposed war. Charity’s story was different. Her father, a sea captain, died when she was just six weeks old, leaving her mother to raise seven children alone while running her own business. Charity grew up watching her mother’s resilience, which shaped her lifelong compassion for others.

Thomas and Charity married in 1790 and suffered personal tragedy when their only child, Thomas Jr., died in infancy. In time, Charity’s health declined, and doctors advised a warmer climate. Because she opposed slavery, the Rotches refused to move south, choosing instead to travel west to Ohio in 1811. They brought with them a prized flock of Merino sheep, entrusting their friend and farmhand Arvine Wales to walk more than 400 of them nearly 600 miles. He lost only ten along the way.

Here in Ohio, the Rotches founded the village of Kendal, named for an English wool town. Thomas envisioned a well-planned community, with public squares, schools, and solidly built homes. You can see the framed town plat and the post office box which Thomas used while he was post master of Kendal. Though it has since been incorporated into Massillon, remnants of old Kendal can still be seen today, like the Charity Square and Union Square along Wales Road.

It took nearly a decade to complete Spring Hill itself, finished around 1821. You are standing in the kitchen and family dining rooms. Feel free to take a look around and see what items may be familiar to your own cooking spaces. Unlike many households of the time who subscribed to the “upstairs-downstairs” mentality, meals were prepared and shared by the family, workers, and farmhands together — a reflection of the Quaker belief in equality. When Thomas and Charity began using their home as a station on the Underground Railroad, freedom seekers would also have been invited to their table. We know this from a letter written to Thomas Rotch in August of 1820 by a man named George Duncan. George was 17-years-old when he made his run to freedom and in his letter, thanks Thomas for the hospitality he received at Spring Hill. You can learn more of his story through the George Duncan Exhibit or hear his letter as part of this audio tour.

When you’re ready, let’s head upstairs to the Formal Dining Room.