Black Heritage Trail
Encyclopedia
The Black Heritage is a path in Boston, Massachusetts, winding through the Beacon Hill
neighborhood and sites important in American
black history.
In 1783, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to declare slavery
illegal — mostly out of gratitude for black participation in the Revolutionary War. Subsequently, a sizable community of free blacks and escaped slaves developed in Boston, settling on the north face of Beacon Hill, and in the North End. Boston was long considered a desirable destination for southern black slaves escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad
.
structures and historic sites, including the African Meeting House
.
The trail begins at the Abiel Smith School, 46 Joy Street, which houses the Museum of African American History. There interactive exhibits tell the story of the American Civil Rights Movement, and Boston's black history. Next, at the renowned African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court, there are displays and speeches from well-informed orators. Built in 1806, the African Meeting House
was the first African-American church in the United States; it became known as the Black Faneuil Hall during the abolitionist movement. Here Frederick Douglass
gave many speeches, including his impassioned call for blacks to take up arms against the South in the American Civil War
.
Among those who responded were the volunteers of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment
. Their contributions were commemorated by an impressive monument, depicting their farewell march down Beacon Street, at the edge of Boston Common, across Beacon Street from the Massachusetts State House
. Robert Lowell
won a Pulitzer Prize
for his poem "For the Union Dead" about this monument and soldiers. The regiment's tragic end at Fort Wagner
was the subject of the film Glory.
The Black Heritage Trail then winds around Beacon Hill. It passes significant schools, institutions, and houses, ranging from the small, cream clapboard residences of Smith Court to the imposing Lewis and Harriet Hayden House, 66 Phillips St. The Hayden House was a famed stop on the Underground Railroad and sheltered many runaway slaves from bounty hunters.
This trail links the sites that comprise Boston African American National Historic Site
.
Although some black Bostonians lived in the North End and in the West End north of Cambridge Street, more than half the city’s 2,000 blacks lived on Beacon Hill just below the residences of wealthy whites. The historic buildings along today’s Black Heritage Trail were the homes, business, schools, and churches of a black community that organized from the nation’s earliest years to sustain those who faced discrimination
and slavery
.
The Black Heritage Trail includes
Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, that along with the neighboring Back Bay is home to about 26,000 people. It is a neighborhood of Federal-style rowhouses and is known for its narrow, gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks...
neighborhood and sites important in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
black history.
In 1783, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to declare slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
illegal — mostly out of gratitude for black participation in the Revolutionary War. Subsequently, a sizable community of free blacks and escaped slaves developed in Boston, settling on the north face of Beacon Hill, and in the North End. Boston was long considered a desirable destination for southern black slaves escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Sites along the Trail
The Black Heritage Trail links more than 15 pre-Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
structures and historic sites, including the African Meeting House
African Meeting House
The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston,...
.
The trail begins at the Abiel Smith School, 46 Joy Street, which houses the Museum of African American History. There interactive exhibits tell the story of the American Civil Rights Movement, and Boston's black history. Next, at the renowned African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court, there are displays and speeches from well-informed orators. Built in 1806, the African Meeting House
African Meeting House
The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston,...
was the first African-American church in the United States; it became known as the Black Faneuil Hall during the abolitionist movement. Here Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
gave many speeches, including his impassioned call for blacks to take up arms against the South in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Among those who responded were the volunteers of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War...
. Their contributions were commemorated by an impressive monument, depicting their farewell march down Beacon Street, at the edge of Boston Common, across Beacon Street from the Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
. Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for his poem "For the Union Dead" about this monument and soldiers. The regiment's tragic end at Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor...
was the subject of the film Glory.
The Black Heritage Trail then winds around Beacon Hill. It passes significant schools, institutions, and houses, ranging from the small, cream clapboard residences of Smith Court to the imposing Lewis and Harriet Hayden House, 66 Phillips St. The Hayden House was a famed stop on the Underground Railroad and sheltered many runaway slaves from bounty hunters.
This trail links the sites that comprise Boston African American National Historic Site
Boston African American National Historic Site
The Boston African American National Historic Site, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts's Beacon Hill neighborhood, interprets 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th century African-American community, including the Museum of Afro-American History's African Meeting...
.
Although some black Bostonians lived in the North End and in the West End north of Cambridge Street, more than half the city’s 2,000 blacks lived on Beacon Hill just below the residences of wealthy whites. The historic buildings along today’s Black Heritage Trail were the homes, business, schools, and churches of a black community that organized from the nation’s earliest years to sustain those who faced discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
and slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
.
The Black Heritage Trail includes
- 54th Regiment Memorial
- African Meeting HouseAfrican Meeting HouseThe African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston,...
- Abiel Smith SchoolAbiel Smith SchoolAbiel Smith School, founded in 1835, is a school located at 46 Joy Street in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, adjacent to the African Meeting House. It is named for Abiel Smith, a white philanthropist who left money in his will to the city of Boston for the education of black children. The...
- Charles Street Meeting HouseCharles Street Meeting HouseThe Charles Street Meeting House, is an early-nineteenth-century historic church in Beacon Hill at 70 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The church has been used over its history by several Christian denominations and is a good example of reuse and adaptive reuse, having recently been renovated...
- John Coburn House
- Lewis and Harriet Hayden HouseLewis HaydenLewis Hayden was an African American leader, ex-slave, abolitionist, businessman, Republican Party worker and a representative from Boston to the Massachusetts state legislature in 1873.-Early life:...
- George Middleton House
- Phillips School
- Smith Court Residences
- John J. Smith House