The Dr. Amos Prentice-Mother Bailey House on Thames Street in Groton has hosted presidents, and even the ground beneath it tells a bold American story. Today the house is deteriorating, and its future is uncertain. However, one of the property’s former occupants, Anna Warner Bailey, is alive and well, at least in spirit. She bounds out of history books with the vitality of someone you’d love to meet. Once Anna did something unconventional and funny that made her famous, but her life story was more than one impulsive act.

Anna was 18 years old when the Revolution broke out. She was living with her aunt and uncle, Hannah and Edward Mills, on their farm on Candlewood Hill in Groton. She’d experienced tragedy when she was orphaned as a child, but nothing prepared her for what she witnessed after the Battle of Groton Heights.

With the war in full swing, everyone was on edge. There’d been periodic rumors of impending British strikes, prompting women and children to flee their homes several times in anticipation of attacks that didn’t materialize. But September 6, 1781, was different; when Edward got word that New London was under siege, he rushed to Fort Griswold. His family waited anxiously all day for his return.

Next morning, when Edward still wasn’t back, Anna set out to find him. She wasn’t alone. The road (Route 184) was crowded with frantic people heading to the fort, seeking their loved ones.

When Anna entered the fort, Edward wasn’t there. He was at Ebenezer Avery’s house, bleeding-out on the parlor floor. Edward begged Anna to fetch his family; he especially wanted to hold his baby one more time. Anna hustled back to the farm, saddled a horse for Hannah, who was still recovering from childbirth, and led the family back in time to say goodbye.

After fulfilling her uncle’s dying wish, Anna stayed on to help Dr. Amos Prentice care for the wounded. The trips between the farm and the fort (about 6 miles round-trip), tending the injured, and witnessing Edward’s death must have been emotionally exhausting. The experience reinforced Anna’s already deep hatred of the British.

After the war, Anna married Elijah Bailey, a defender of Groton Heights. The couple ran a tavern in their home, where Anna’s lively personality made it a popular gathering place.

The property is historic. It originally belonged to Thomas Mumford, a privateer and one of the colonists who captured Fort Ticonderoga. In retaliation for Mumford’s role in that affair, the British incinerated his home during their Groton raid. In 1782, Amos Prentice built the current house, which was then bought by the Baileys.

Fast forward to the War of 1812, when British ships lurked at the entrance to the Thames, prompting citizens to once again man Fort Griswold in case of another attack. When a militiaman came into the village seeking cannon wadding, many people had fled town, but he found Anna out walking on Thames Street. When he explained his mission, Anna unhesitatingly stepped out of her red flannel petticoat and gave it to him. Back at the fort, the amused men flew the undergarment like a flag.

Anna’s ensuing fame drew admiring visitors to the tavern, including presidents Monroe, Jackson and Van Buren, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Her patriotic gesture became fodder for anti-British storytelling at the inn, where Anna also entertained guests with her renditions of political ditties, including the song “Jefferson and Liberty.” (Pete Seeger and the Hooteneers perform it today on YouTube — perhaps more musically but not more passionately!)

Anna lived into her 90s and rests near Elijah in Groton’s Starr Cemetery. A local chapter of the DAR bears her name; Warner Street and Bailey Hill Road may remember her family, although I can’t substantiate that.

Anna’s house has the pedigree to be an outstanding educational resource and tourist attraction. I hope it can be saved.