Clemson University professor Susanna Ashton writes in Common-Place about research surrounding a fugitive slave who hid for one night in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Brunswick home, an event that likely influenced Stowe’s decision to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ashton’s story was picked up by a slew of news sites including The New York Times, Huffington Post, NPR, and ABC News.

Bowdoin’s Tess Chakkalakal recently gave Ashton a tour of the Stowe House (now owned by the College) where John Andrew Jackson took refuge with Stowe’s family on that night in 1850.