Frederick and his wife Anna moved to Lynn, Massachusetts as a consequence of him coming to the attention of Mr. William Garrison, after he spontaneously spoke at a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society convention in Nantucket during August of 1841. He was such a success that Garrison hired him for 3 months probationary period and suggested he moved to this sleepy coastal town in New England.

He lived in Lynn from 1841 - 1848, leaving not long after his two year self imposed exile in the United Kingdom and Ireland to avoid capture after the success of the narrative, and this scene is in the ‘present time’ of the Fall of 1844 when he is believed to have started writing.

The family lived in four residences during their time there and this scene takes place in the first of those residences, Harrison Court, which was very convenient as the Lynn Rail Terminus was just a short walk away which is why in later scenes you can hear a train passing behind the house.