Laura Smith Haviland.

[Robert Gray]

Laura Smith Haviland (1808 - 1898) was an American abolitionist, suffragette, and social reformer. She was a Quaker and an important figure in the history of the Underground Railroad. She made countless trips through Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan to aid fugitives on their perilous journey to freedom in Canada. During the Civil War, Haviland provided nursing care to wounded Union soldiers. She also served as an agent of the Michigan Freedmen's Association (1864 - 66) and traveled widely throughout the South, giving much-needed assistance to the region's newly emancipated populace. In an effort to document slavery's brutality, Haviland posed for these photographs holding the iron shackles and restraints she found on a Louisiana plantation.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
University of Michigan Library Digital Collections.
Ann Arbor District Library.

 

[major bill]

Yes that is Aunt Laura. Born in Canada, she reportedly opened the first integrated school in Michigan, it also educated female students. In 1909 a statue of her was dedicated in Adrian. Michigan. The statue incorporates a drinking fountain so one can have "a drink of freedom". The statue is located in front of the Lenewee County Historical Museum. I would suggest anyone interested in having "a drink of Freedom" from Aunt Laura, check the hours of the Lenewee County Historical Museum. The museum is worth a visit. Her leg iron is on display at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing.