Isaac Mason

Born in 1822 in Kent County, Maryland, Isaac Mason was enslaved from birth. According to biographical records, he was the son of Zekiel Thompson, a free Black farm hand, and Sophia Thompson, who was enslaved. After the death of his first owner, his life in slavery grew harsher, and in late December 1846 he escaped with help from the Underground Railroad.

After reaching freedom, Mason lived in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Boston, and Worcester, Massachusetts, and spent a short period in Canada when fears of capture increased. He married Annie in 1849 and built a life in Worcester, where he worked in jobs including janitorial work and became active in the anti-slavery movement, the Republican Party, the A.M.E. Zion Church, and local fraternal groups.

Mason published Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave in 1893, turning his experiences into a powerful memoir. He is remembered not only for the story of his escape from slavery, but also for the long public life he built afterward as an abolitionist, church member, and prominent Black citizen of Worcester.