Safe house

This article is about the place of refuge. For other uses, see Safe house (disambiguation).

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

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.

Historical usage

It may also refer to:

• in the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger
• a place where people may go to avoid prosecution of their activities by authorities. Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad has been described as a "safe house".
• a location where a trusted adult, family or charity organization provides a haven for victims of domestic abuse (see also: men and/or women's shelter or refuge)
• Right of asylum
• sanctuary in medieval law
• sanctuary in modern times
• Church asylum

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

• Blockhouse
• Citadel
• Closed city
• Fortified estate
• Hideout (disambiguation)
• Refuge
• Retreat (survivalism)
• Right of asylum
• Safe harbor (disambiguation)
• Safe haven (disambiguation)
• Safe room
• Second Amendment sanctuary
• Separation barrier
• Trap house
• Walled city

References

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

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