Thomas Downing

This review of "The Big Oyster," a book about oysters and New York City, briefly mentions Thomas Downing, a free black Virginian who opened a famous oyster house on the corner of Wall Street and Broad Street in 1825. The review states that "The oyster, that great class leveler, made Downing an admired, influential and wealthy man. His curious history, and his elevated status in 19th-century New York, make him easily the most intriguing figure in the city's oyster history." Here's a link with more information about Downing's Oyster House. Downing's son used the cellar as a stop on the underground railroad.