Newport House / Zion Chapel

Currently a dormitory on the campus of Amherst College, the Newport House rests on the land that originally contained the first Zion Chapel. The building gets its name in recognition of a slave of Hatfield, Amos Newport, who filed two law-suits in an attempt to gain his freedom in 1766. At the time there were other Massachusetts slaves who legally searched for freedom, but these cases or “freedom suits” were typically conducted because slaves could provide evidence that a previous owner had promised them freedom (Romer). Amos Newport had no such evidence, he simply wanted to be free and sought the audience of the court in order to assert his status as a free man. Amos was unsuccessful in his attempts to gain his freedom due to the bill of sale Joseph Billing, Amos' master, produced in court. Fail as he might, Amos was a pioneer of his time, and his memory is honored through the naming of this dorm.

Amos' progeny did gain their freedom, and on or before 1840 the town records show that descendants of Amos owned the land of what are currently #193 & #194 Northampton Rd., aka Route 9. In 1900 Frederick Dwight Newport is listed as owning one house “free & clear” of any mortgage (African American Historical). Dwight, or “Doc” as he was referred to worked as an athletic trainer for Amherst College alongside his son Ed from the end of the 19^th century into the 20^th. Doc retired in 1931 at the age of 73, and it is in the honor of his families heritage that the dorm now owned by Amherst College is named.  Descendants of the Newport line are still living at #193.