A Quaker, Howland's reputation grew as a notable social reformer. He advocated women's suffrage, prohibition, and the abolition of slavery.  A leader in the movement, his home in Sherwood often served as headquarters for regional abolitionists, as well as part of the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves en route to Canada. In 1996, the "Slocum and Hannah Howland House" in Sherwood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in African-American history: its role in the Underground Railroad and Slocum and Hannah (Tallcot) Howland's efforts to abolish slavery. 

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