Effingham Lawrence Capron (1791 – 1859), a Quaker, was a mill owner, and nationally recognized leader of the anti-slavery movement prior to the Civil War.

[2] Capron became an ardent abolitionist in the anti-slavery movement of the pre-Civil War period, and was the head of the local branch of the Underground Railroad.

The Quaker Meeting house at Uxbridge was also known for the ardent antislavery advocate Abby Kelley Foster, who also led Susan B. Anthony to the cause of abolitionism.

Under the leadership of Effingham Capron, Abby Kelley Foster, and others, Uxbridge became a key junction in the Underground Railroad and the early efforts to free African Americans from slavery.

"During this 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it is fitting to honor a local resident who worked for one of the principal causes of that great conflict that split 'brother against brother,'" explained Senator Richard T. Moore of Uxbridge.