Title
Hackett House Network to Freedom Nomination (M26-008)
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00808
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Location
Location: Pedestrian tunnel on K Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets, District 4
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion supporting the draft National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (NTF) nomination for the Hackett House (Archy Lee Escape Site).
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Contact
Contact: Sean de Courcy, Preservation Director, (916) 808-2796, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Henry Feuss, Associate Preservation Planner, (916) 808-5880, hfeuss@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Draft Network to Freedom Nomination for the Hackett House
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue/Detail: With support from Groundwork Preservation and a National Parks Service grant of $14,000, the City of Sacramento has prepared a draft nomination to the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (NTF) Program for the Hackett House (Archy Lee Escape Site), located at a segment of public right-of-way on K Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets. The nominated location is a commemorative site representing the former location of Hackett House, a Black-owned hotel that served as a place of refuge for freedom-seeking African Americans during the Antebellum Period.
Unlike a traditional National Register nomination, the NTF nomination does not designate an extant building or structure. Instead, it recognizes a site associated with documented events tied to the Underground Railroad and resistance to enslavement, even where the original resource no longer exists.
The Hackett House is significant as the location where Archy Lee, an enslaved man brought to California in 1857, sought refuge in January 1858 after escaping his enslaver. His arrest at this location led to a landmark legal case challenging the application of the Fugitive Slave Act in California. The case ultimately resulted in a ruling that Lee was a free man, establishing an important legal precedent and galvanizing California’s Black abolitionist community.
The site represents a documented example of:
• Escape and refuge,
• Legal resistance to slavery, and
• Association with prominent individuals and organized abolitionist networks.
The nomination emphasizes that the Hackett House served as an early example of a broader network of Black-led advocacy and support systems that assisted freedom seekers in California, an often underrecognized dimension of Underground Railroad history.
This nomination builds upon prior work completed through the African American Experience Project and seeks to formally recognize and interpret underrepresented histories in Sacramento.
The Network to Freedom program, established by Congress in 1998, recognizes sites, programs, and facilities associated with the Underground Railroad and promotes education, preservation, and public understanding of resistance to enslavement.
Staff is bringing forward the draft nomination to the Preservation Commission for review and comment.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Since 2001, the City of Sacramento has been a Certified Local Government (CLG), participating in federal, state, and local historic preservation programs. While the Network to Freedom program is distinct from the National Register of Historic Places, it is administered by the National Park Service and aligns with the broader goals of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Participation in the NTF program supports the City’s adopted policies and ongoing initiatives to:
• Identify and document underrepresented historic contexts,
• Promote inclusive historical narratives, and
• Expand public interpretation of significant cultural resources.
Bringing forward nominations such as the Hackett House advances the City’s commitment to recognizing sites associated with African American history and civil rights, particularly those that may not be represented by extant buildings or traditional historic districts.
Review by the Preservation Commission provides an opportunity to incorporate local expertise, ensure accuracy, and strengthen the nomination prior to federal consideration.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: This report concerns administrative activities that will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable physical change in the environment and is therefore exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA Guidelines sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(5)).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/CommitteeAction
Commission/Committee Action: None.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The Preservation Commission serves as the City’s advisory body on historic preservation matters and plays an important role in advancing the City’s broader preservation and cultural resource goals.
Although the Hackett House no longer exists as a physical building, the site represents a highly significant cultural and historical resource associated with one of the most important freedom-seeking cases in California history. The Archy Lee case reflects the legal, social, and political dimensions of resistance to enslavement in a free state and highlights the role of Sacramento’s Black community in advancing civil rights.
Supporting this nomination allows the Commission to:
• Recognize a nationally significant story of resistance and legal precedent,
• Elevate underrepresented African American history in Sacramento, and
• Advance interpretive and educational opportunities associated with the site.
Unlike traditional designations, the Network to Freedom program emphasizes commemoration, education, and public interpretation, making it particularly well-suited for sites like Hackett House where the physical resource has been lost but the historical significance remains intact and well-documented.
Staff recommends that the Preservation Commission review the draft nomination, provide comments, and pass a motion supporting the nomination. Doing so will strengthen the nomination and demonstrate local support for inclusion in the Network to Freedom program.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise (LBE)
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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