02/21/2026
Southeastern Connecticut know your Black History and how intentional and powerful it is. 
Savillion Haley
A White Abolitionist Who Built Opportunity on Hempstead Street
In the early 1840s, long before the Civil War and decades before slavery was abolished nationwide, a white New London resident named Savillion Haley quietly took action that would shape the city’s Black community for generations.
He didn’t give speeches in Washington.
He didn’t lead marches.
He built houses.
And then he sold them — at cost — to free Black families.
At a time when racism was deeply entrenched in everyday life, Haley believed Black residents “should be treated like other folks.” That belief wasn’t just talk. He put his own money behind it.
The Hempstead Street Houses
In the mid-1840s, Haley purchased land on Hempstead Street, north of downtown New London. On that land, he built five modest homes. Four of those original houses are still standing today:
73 Hempstead Street
77 Hempstead Street
81 Hempstead Street
83 Hempstead Street
These homes became the core of one of New London’s earliest free Black neighborhoods.
The area was known in the 19th century by names that reflected the prejudice of the time — labels like “New Guinea” and “Ethiopia.” But despite the discrimination implied in those names, something remarkable was happening there.
A stable Black community was taking root.
Who Lived There?
The families who purchased Haley’s houses were not passive recipients of charity. They were skilled, working citizens — mariners, blacksmiths, stone masons, machinists, and tradesmen.
Over time, Hempstead Street became home to generations of Black leaders and activists.
One of the most historically significant houses, 73 Hempstead Street, later sheltered families connected to nationally known abolitionist David Ruggles, one of the first Black publishers in the United States and a key figure in the Underground Railroad.
In the 20th century, that same house became associated with Sadie Dillon Harrison, who helped author an early guide for Black travelers and even hosted W. E. B. Du Bois during a visit to New London.
What began as five modest houses became a foundation for leadership, stability, and civic engagement.
Part of a Larger Abolitionist Spirit
New London in the 19th century was already a city touched by anti-slavery activism. The city played a role in the famous United States v. The Amistad case, and abolitionist speakers such as Frederick Douglass lectured here.
But Haley’s contribution was different.
He didn’t fight slavery in the courts or on lecture stages.
He fought inequality in the housing market.
And housing — then and now — is power.
Owning property meant stability.
It meant inheritance.
It meant dignity.
Haley helped make that possible in a period when many white property owners simply refused to sell to Black buyers.
Why This Matters
Savillion Haley is not a household name. There are no statues of him downtown. You won’t find thick biographies written about his life.
But you can walk past the houses he built.
They are part of the Hempstead Historic District in New London — physical proof that local history isn’t only about generals and governors. Sometimes it’s about a neighbor who decided to do the right thing.
In the 1840s, when exclusion was easier, Haley chose inclusion.
And the neighborhood he helped create shaped New London’s Black community for generations to come.
