Upstairs

As you move upstairs, remember this was always the most private part of the home. Over the years, many of these rooms served as bedrooms, each holding stories of the families who lived here.

The room with the floral wallpaper to your right was Thomas and Charity Rotch’s master bedroom, and is staged as such today. Although floral wallpaper would have been a little too fancy for Quakers like Thomas and Charity! Later, it became home to Lydia Teller, the daughter of Nancy Shepherdson and the step-sister of A. C. Wales. Lydia was deeply close with her step-brother, living with him at Spring Hill for much of her life.

Her story, though, is bittersweet. Lydia married Dr. J.V.C. Teller in New York, and the couple moved to Kendal, where he opened a general store. But within two years the store failed. Undeterred, Dr. Teller tried again—moving farther west, promising Lydia she would follow when things were stable. The second store failed too, and Lydia remained in Kendal. His third attempt led him all the way to California during the Gold Rush. But Lydia stayed here at Spring Hill, helping to raise Helen, Arvine III, and Horatio. To them, she became “Auntie Teller.”

Though she and her husband had several children of their own, none lived to adulthood. Instead, Lydia poured her love into her nieces and nephews, worked with the Charity School of Kendal, and became a beloved figure in the community.

Across the hall is the Guest Bedroom. This room would have belonged to Arvine Wales while he worked for the Rotches and before he built the additional rooms downstairs. Used for guests over the years, it’s remembered most for one recurring visitor—Billy Smith, known to the Wales children as “Deacon Billy.” A sheep shearer by trade, he stayed each spring to work. What made him memorable was not just his work, but his long daily prayers. Young Horatio Wales recalled Billy leading the family and workers in devotion that could last for hours!

Behind the staircase you’ll find the Sewing Room. This space also doubled as a bedroom, and if you open the closets here and in the master bedroom, you’ll see a small vent. Children of the house—specifically, Helen and Arvine III—used it to talk and whisper between rooms. The sewing machines you see today date from the mid-to-late 1800s. A half-door here leads to the attic, which once ran the length of the house. During large gatherings, the Wales family often hired young women from town to help serve. If the weather was bad or the parties went late, the attic could sleep up to eight girls in warmth and comfort.

Climbing the second set of stairs brings you to the Nursery. It is thought to have been the bedroom of Mary Kimberly, but it was later filled with the toys of the Wales children. At the very top of the stairs is a small door leading to another attic. This unusual space held the family beehives. As committed Quakers, the Rotches refrained from eating cane sugar because it was a slave-produced commodity. Instead, they relied on honey and maple sugar. The Wales descendants remember the beehive being kept here until the 1950s.

Before you return downstairs, let’s pause at the back stairs. These lead all the way down to the basement. Remember the Jacob’s Ladder from earlier in this tour? For the household, they served as stairs for those who worked and lived at Spring Hill. But oral history tells us they were also used on the Underground Railroad—allowing freedom seekers to move from the basement to the second floor without passing through the main level of the home.

Just behind the stair door is a smaller opening into the sugar closet, tucked into the eaves above the dining room. According to family stories, this was another hiding place. To conceal the entrance, barrels of maple sugar and bags of grain were stacked in front of the door. Here, and in the spring house loft, runaways could be hidden safely on their journey to freedom. In 2002, Spring Hill joined the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom, being officially recognized as a documented station on the Underground Railroad.

As you walk through these upstairs rooms, take a moment to imagine the private lives, whispered conversations, and acts of courage that unfolded here—stories layered deep into the foundation of this home. Stories where everyday life met extraordinary moments in history – of family, community, courage, and change. We hope that as you leave, you carry with you not only the history of this place, but also a deeper connection to the people whose lives helped shape it. On behalf of all of us here at Spring Hill, thank you for keeping their stories alive!