Created By: Ithaca Heritage
Born a slave in 1820, Thomas Jackson escaped from Virginia in 1842, and finally reached Ithaca in 1850. Soon thereafter, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed and he moved to Toronto for a brief time. Upon returning to Ithaca, Jackson worked as a gardener, farm hand, saw-miller, and general laborer while living at 11 Wheat Street, now 111 Cleveland Ave. In 1860 he married Mary Ann, who escaped slavery from Maryland. She found employment in Ithaca as a laundress.
This point of interest is part of the tour: The Southside Loop