Lantern Hill

The north side of the peninsula along the Wading River rises to a hill that is the site of some of the oldest settlement in the Freedom area. Lantern Hill was built up in Revolutionary times and became one of the most exclusive neighborhoods for judges, bankers, and the “old money” of Freedom City.
These days, Lantern Hill isn’t as exclusive as it used to be. The garden apartments and row houses are still wonderful examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, many of them having undergone modern renovations. The neighborhood has a distinctly colonial flavor with narrower, tree-lined streets, brick-front buildings, and small garden plots or window boxes of flowers.
Lantern Hill is home to a number of historical sites, from the home of Revolutionary War hero Major Joseph Clark to the Lantern Hill Cemetery and one of Freedom’s oldest houses of worship, St. Stephen’s Church. It is better known as the haunt of the mysterious Lantern Jack, mystic watchman of Freedom since the days of the Revolutionary War.

PLACES OF INTEREST

• Lantern Hill Cemetery
• St. Stephen’s Church

Demographics

CABOT HOUSE

The Cabot house on Lantern Hill is an early Colonial structure—a mansion even by modern standards, palatial by the standards of the time when it was built. It proclaimed for all to see that the man who owned and lived in it was a man of means and accomplishment, just as it was intended to do. After all, Lucius Cabot paid for his success—with his very soul!
The house has been in Cabot’s “family” since he first had it built more than two hundred years ago. He has arranged a variety of trusts, “heirs,” and holding companies for it to pass through over the generations—steadfastly ignoring lavish offers to buy it and taking great pains to maintain it—while also keeping the house private property. Historical tours are permitted to go past Cabot House, to point it out and talk about what is known of its history, but an opportunity to see the inside is by invitation only—one that is rarely extended.
To those who know him—business rivals and heroic foes alike—Cabot is remarkably sentimental about his home; it could even be said to constitute a weak-point for him, if he were not certain to visit a terrible revenge upon anyone with the temerity to strike at him through it. Lucius’ private study on the second floor not only has a fine collection of rare grimoires and occult trinkets, but also a summoning circle on the floor beneath the fine imported carpet, which the attorney can use to commune with his infernal patron.
The senior partner of Cabot, Cunningham & Crowley is, in fact, an immortal who made a pact with demonic forces centuries ago to extend his life and influence; a true “devil’s advocate.” While not a sorcerer, Cabot has learned a great deal about the occult over the centuries and has some skill as a ritualist. He’s primarily devoted to fulfilling the wishes of his demonic patrons to ensure his own longevity, protecting his prosperity and his secret.

CLARK HOUSE

In contrast to Cabot House, the former home of Revolutionary War hero Major Joseph Clark is held in public trust as a historical landmark, and has been for decades. This Colonial home has been painstakingly restored and furnished in period reproductions. It shows Clark’s considerable wealth as a landowner in Freedom at the time.
The Freedom City Historical Society conducts tours of Clark House several times each day, and touring the historical mansion is something of a rite of passage for all elementary school children in the city. Without a doubt, their favorite features of the house are the hidden passages in the basement—used during the Revolutionary War and later during the Civil War—and the statues of Maj. Clark and Colonial heroine Lady Liberty found in the main hall.

Industry & Trade

THE EMERALD DRAGON TAVERN

This small Colonial tavern became known as the “Cradle of Freedom,” as it was a meeting place for revolutionaries in the 18th Century; here they gathered by candle- and lantern-light to discuss and debate the issues of the day and, later, to decide on a course of action as the rift between the crown colonies and Britain grew wider and wider.
The Emerald Dragon is also infamous; British redcoats learned of the clandestine meetings there and raided the tavern to round up the rebels and execute them. The first victim is often believed to be John Halloran, a Freedom patriot who attempted to warn people of the attack but was shot and killed by a British soldier; in truth, Halloran only attempted to warn the Colonials after an attack of conscience, since he betrayed their meeting-place to the British. For his sins, Halloran’s spirit became the haunting avenger of injustice known as Lantern Jack.
Freedom City maintains the Emerald Dragon Tavern, rebuilt and restored, as a historical site on Lantern Hill. It is the one building on the hill Lantern Jack will not enter willingly—as opposed to Cabot House, which he is mystically barred from entering.

History

Early colonists built on Lantern Hill not long after the first permanent settlement was established on the peninsula Freedom City now occupies. The hill was the highest point on the peninsula, offering a commanding—and defensible—view, so it became home to a number of structures surrounded by a wooden palisade. The gentle slopes of the hill offered grazing pasture for sheep, and wood from clearing the land for farming and building provided fuel and lumber. Watch fires and lights burning up on the hill were visible from the shore, giving the name “Lantern Hill.”
Of course, Lantern Hill has a history long before its English name. The local Happanuk natives considered the hill a sacred site, and performed rituals and gathered there in tribal councils. Indeed, building on what was initially nicknamed “Happanuk Hill” was an early point of contention between the colonists and the natives, one of several the Happanuks lost.

Geography

THE LANTERN COMMON Originally sheep pasture, the Lantern Common is a small public park, one of the oldest in Freedom City. It is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike to visit. Several bronze statues and busts of historical figures decorate the park, along with carefully managed flowerbeds—in an English garden style—during the warmer months of the year. The iron lampposts and Colonial era charm of the park and surrounding area make it quite photogenic, particularly in the winter, when it is decorated with small white lights and wreaths of evergreen.

Type

Neighbourhood

Characters in Location

• Lantern Jack