{"id":39832,"date":"2018-02-08T23:01:15","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T06:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soulofamerica.com\/?page_id=39832"},"modified":"2022-11-16T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T00:05:41","slug":"boston-heritage-sites","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.soulofamerica.com\/us-cities\/boston\/boston-heritage-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston Heritage Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Reginald

Reginald Lewis Law Center at Harvard University<\/strong>; (c) Soul Of America<\/p><\/div>\n

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Boston Heritage Sites<\/h2>\n
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\nAfrican Meeting House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: It is the oldest Black church building still standing in America. Thomas Paul led worship services for blacks in Faneuil Hall for many years. Then in 1805, due to discrimination, Paul and 20 church members formed the 1st African Baptist Church; though church funds were raised in all communities, the church was built in 1806 with mostly black craftsmen and laborers. The facade of the building is an adaptation of a townhouse design. The meeting house is historically significant for its anti-slavery and political meetings, as well as celebrations. It was remodeled in the 1850s. The New England Anti-Slavery Society was founded here. Although it served as a Jewish synagogue for many interim years, it was acquired by the Museum of African-American History in 1972 and restored to its 1854 New England classic design. That museum has the most comprehensive collection of history and contributions of African-Americans in Massachusetts, including extensive papers from abolitionists, drawings, photographs, and art objects from colonial times to the present. It also serves as a community forum in the Beacon Hill district.
\nADDRESS: 8 Smith Court, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPARKING: on street
\nPHONE: 617-742-1854
\nWEBSITE: http:\/\/www.afroammuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Charles Street Meeting House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Built-in 1807 as Third Street Baptist Church, then renamed the Charles Street Baptist Church later. In the beginning, seating was according to segregationist rules. By the mid-1830 Timothy Gilbert, one of the church’s white abolitionist members, challenged the rules. He invited several black friends to his pew and was expelled from the church. Gilbert and their friends went on to find Tremont Temple as the 1st integrated church in America. through the years Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell Phillips spoke here. In 1876 it became the Charles Street AME Church and remained so until 1939 when it was the last Black congregation to leave Beacon Hill. Though fully restored today, this magnificent building is filled with offices and retail shops that do not support the relevance of this historic site.
\nADDRESS: Mount Vernon Street at Charles Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPARKING: on-street and lots nearby <\/p>\n

May Street Methodist Episcopal Church<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Samuel Snowden is listed as a preacher in a 19th-century directory titled “People of Color”. Around 1860, May Street was renamed Revere Street and the 1860 edition of The Boston Almanac lists it under Methodist Episcopal on Revere Street, pastor Jenkins Williams. According to a historical account, the building on Revere Street had fallen into disrepair and was sold in 1903.
\nADDRESS: Revere Street, exact location unknown, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPARKING: on street<\/p>\n

Peoples Baptist Church of Boston<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Organized in 1805 with twenty members, the church erected its first three-story building in Beacon Hill called the African Meeting House in 1806; through the ministry of Dr. Owens (1936 to 1979) Peoples Baptist Church became known nationally as a leader among black churches
\nSUNDAY WORSHIP: 10:45a
\nADDRESS: 134 Camden Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPARKING: lots nearby
\nPHONE: 617-427-0424
\nWEBSITE: http:\/\/www.pbcboston.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Charles Street AME Church<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: This historic church was the last Black church to move from Beacon Hill in 1939
\nSUNDAY WORSHIP: 8a and 11:15a
\nADDRESS: 551 Warren Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPARKING: lots nearby
\nPHONE: 617-427-1298
\nWEBSITE: http:\/\/www.csame.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Site of the Boston Massacre<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: On 5 March 1770 Crispus Attucks, was the first to die for his country when British troops opened fire on a protest gathering here; that massacre is widely recognized as the beginning of the American Revolution. Congress Street side of the Old State House.
\nADDRESS: 206 Washington Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Old South Meeting House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Built-in 1729, it is the second oldest church in Boston, the place where the Boson Tea Party was planned, and a National Historic Monument. Today, it\u2019s a museum housing many artifacts of our nation\u2019s history that include an exhibit about the life and poems of Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784). Phyllis arrived in Boston on a slave ship, then was sold to Suzannah Wheatley in 1761. Recognizing the special talent of this young girl, Suzannah mentored and encouraged her. Phyllis\u2019 book of poems was published in 1773 to international acclaim. Unfortunately, she was not able to translate that fame into wealth before she died at age 30.
\nADMISSION: a small fee
\nDAYS & HOURS: daily
\nADDRESS: 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPHONE: 617-482-6439<\/p>\n

Middleton-Glapion House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Built-in 1797, this oldest standing clapboard-style house on Boston’s Beacon Hill was built by African-Americans and its original owners were George Middleton and Louis Glapion. They were members of the African Lodge of Masons. It is commonly believed and supported by historian William C Neill that George Middleton led the Black company called the “Bucks of America”, in the American Revolution. Not open to the public.
\nADDRESS: 5-7 Pinckney Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Smith Court Residences<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: A series of houses that are typical of the homes that African-Americans lived in beginning in 1825. William C. Nell, the first published African-American historian, an abolitionist, and a close friend of William Lloyd Garrison, lived here from 1851 to 1856. He also led the crusade to integrate Boston’s public schools. Later when James Scott, a Black clothier purchased 3 Smith Court, it was also used as a station for the Underground Railroad. No tours inside.
\nADDRESS: 3-10 Smith Court, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Abiel Smith School<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: In 1787 Prince Hall petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for African-American access to the public school system. After numerous petitions were denied, it became the 1st public school for African-Americans to open in Prince Hall’s home on the northeast corner of West Cedar and Revere Streets. In 1808, the grammar school was moved to larger quarters on the 1st floor of the African Meeting House. The school was named after a white businessman who left an endowment for the education of Black children. That endowment was used to build this school in 1834. It is now a renovated National Historic Landmark.
\nADDRESS: 46 Joy Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Phillips School<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: In 1855 when slavery was abolished by a legislative act in Massachusetts, this became the 1st integrated school in Boston. The school was moved to its present location in 1861.
\nADDRESS: Anderson and Pinckney Streets, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Dillaway-Thomas House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Named for Charles Dillaway, an educator who lived in the house for most of the 19th century. Today the house serves as a heritage center providing historical and cultural events, special exhibits, and a unique oral history project called “The Griots of Roxbury”, which is conducted by a youth group.
\nDAYS & HOURS: Tours Tue-Sun
\nADDRESS: 183 Roxbury Street, Boston, MA MAP<\/strong><\/a>
\nPHONE: 617-445-3399<\/p>\n