Wayne Manor began as the simple home of railroad financier Jerome K. Van Derm in 1855. Soon after, Van Derm had to give up the property to the brothers Solomon and Zebediah Wayne in 1858. Solomon Wayne, a judge, worked hard to preserve equality in Gotham, saying that the city should be a "fortress against vice and iniquity". Solomon expanded Wayne Manor to its present size, acting as the first Wayne to turn it into a manor. They later used it as part of the Underground Railroad, sheltering escaped slaves who fled north to Canada. According to Alfred, Wayne Manor had been home to six generations of Waynes.