A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities.

The house where Martin Luther King Jr. hid after preaching in 1968 is now the Safe House Museum. Greensboro, Hale County, Alabama, United States

Historical usage

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It may also refer to:

Typically, the significance of safe houses is kept secret from all but a limited number of people, for the safety of those hidden within them.

Many religious institutions will allow one to obtain sanctuary within one's place of worship, and some governments respect and do not violate such sanctuary.

Safe houses were an integral part of the Underground Railroad, the network of safe house locations that were used to assist slaves in escaping to the primarily northern free states in the 19th century United States. Some houses were marked with a statue of an African-American man holding a lantern, called "the Lantern Holder".[1][2]

Safe houses also provided a refuge for victims of Nazi persecution and for escaping prisoners of war. Victims, such as Anne Frank and her family, were harbored clandestinely for extended periods of time. Other Jewish victims that were hidden from the Germans include Philip Slier and his extended family and friends.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Matheson, Kathy (23 February 2008). "Man amasses black history treasure trove -". USA Today. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  2. ^ Frost, Karolyn Smardz (2007). I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-16481-2.
  3. ^ Slier, Philip "Flip"; Deborah Slier (2008). Hidden Letters (illustrated ed.). New York: Star Bright Books. pp. 10, 159, 160, 161. ISBN 978-1887734882.

Sources

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  • Slier, Philip "Flip" & Slier, Deborah. Hidden Letters: The Hidden Letters of Flip Slier. Star Bright Books, 2008. ISBN 1887734880.