In the early 1900s, the word “hobo” carried a whole world of meaning. It could suggest poverty, wandering, hard luck, railroad travel, or simply a man moving from town to town in search of work, food, or shelter.
To many people, these wayfarers were treated with suspicion. To Mr. and Mrs. John Pike of Salisbury, Massachusetts, they were “somebody’s sons.”
For years, the Pikes owned a farm near the Salisbury railroad station, and on that farm stood a large barn that became known far beyond the town itself. Tramps and hoboes discovered that they could sleep there for the night and would not be chased away. Even more remarkable, those who stayed were often given a real breakfast before moving on.
The place became so well known that even a mother from the far West wrote to the Pikes, hoping they might post a message for her missing son in case he passed through the famous “tramp barn.” It was a small but deeply touching detail, showing how places like this were woven into the lives of families separated by distance, poverty, and uncertainty.
By 1910, however, the Pikes had moved from the farm, and the beloved “hoboes’ retreat” came to an end. What remains is a touching glimpse into a time when kindness could be as simple as an unlocked barn door, a warm meal, and the belief that every wandering stranger still belonged to someone.
Hoboes’ Retreat Sold By Owners
SALISBURY, Massachusetts. — The famous “hoboes’ retreat” of Salisbury, conducted for many years by Mr. and Mrs. John Pike, of this town, is no more, because these benevolent persons have moved from the farm made famous by its mammoth barn, which was given up to the use of the wayfarer.
For many years the Pikes lived near the railroad station in Salisbury, and on their farm was a large barn where hay was stored. Years ago tramps started coming to this barn, and as they were never turned away they kept on coming. Never did a tramp who had stopped in the barn overnight go away without a substantial breakfast, and it is estimated that hundreds of tramps have been fed by Mr. and Mrs. Pike.
“We did not like to turn them away,” said Mrs. Pike, “for they were somebody’s sons.”
The fame of the barn has traveled far and wide, and tacked to the large door is a card written by some mother in the far West seeking information of her son. She had heard of the famous tramp barn of Massachusetts and wrote to Mrs. Pike, asking her to put up the sign that her son might see it if he stayed there.
In the large door a hole was sawed out by Mr. Pike, so that tramps who came late at night could reach through and unlock the door without trouble.
Source: The Washington Times. Washington D.C. April 4, 1910.
