Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was one of the first towns founded in the
Massachusetts Bay ColonyThe Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868. The original town of Roxbury once included the current Boston neighborhoods of
Jamaica PlainJamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury...
, Roslindale,
West RoxburyWest Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
, the
South EndThe South End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.-Geography:The South End lies south of the Back Bay, northwest of South Boston, northeast of Roxbury, north of Dorchester, and southwest of Bay Village...
and much of Back Bay. Roxbury now generally ends at Hammond St, Davenport St to the east and East Lenox St/Melnea Cass Blvd to the south.
Roxbury is now one of 21 official neighborhoods of Boston, used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city asserts that it "serves as the heart of Black culture in Boston."
The original boundaries of the Town of Roxbury can be found in
Drake's History of Roxbury and its noted Personages. Those boundaries include the Christian Science Center, the
Prudential CenterThe Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, The Pru, is a skyscraper in Boston, Massachusetts. The building, a part of the Prudential Center complex, currently stands as the 2nd-tallest building in Boston, behind the John Hancock Tower. The Prudential Tower was...
(built on the old Roxbury Railroad Yards) and everything south and east of the
Muddy RiverThe Muddy River is a series of brooks and ponds that runs through sections of Boston's Emerald Necklace, including along the south boundary of Brookline, Massachusetts...
including Symphony Hall, Northeastern University, Y.M.C.A.,
Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and many hospitals and schools in the area. This side of the Muddy River is Roxbury, the other side is
BrooklineBrookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
and Boston.
Franklin ParkFranklin Park, a partially wooded parkland in the Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts, is maintained by the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department...
, once entirely within Roxbury when Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and Roslindale were villages within the town of Roxbury until 1854, has been divided with the line between Jamaica Plain and Roxbury located in the vicinity of Peter Parley Road on Walnut Avenue, through the park to Columbia Road. Here, Walnut Avenue changes its name to Sigourney Street, indicating the area is now Jamaica Plain. One side of Columbia Road is Roxbury, the other
DorchesterDorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
. Melnea Cass Boulevard is locate approximately over the Roxbury Canal that brought boats into Roxbury, bypassing the busy port of Boston in the 1830s.
A store known as The Blue Store was located at the intersection of Washington and Warren streets in Dudley since 1699. Many remember the furniture store there known as Ferdinand's Blue Store, as the elevated train bisected the building. This area was also the home to several famous Boston business firms, W. Bowman Cutter's Hardware Store with the upside down sign, Timothy Smith's Department Store, and J. S. Waterman and Sons, funeral directors to many prominent Boston families.
Early history
Early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony established a series of six villages in 1630. The village of Roxbury (originally called “Rocksberry”
http://www.discoverroxbury.org/roxburys-history/4528136328 for the rocks in its soil that made early farming a challenge,) has long been noted for its hilly geography and many large outcroppings of Roxbury puddingstone, which was quarried for many years and used in the foundations of a large number of houses in the area.
The town is located where Boston was previously connected to mainland Massachusetts by a narrow
isthmusAn isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
called
Boston NeckThe Boston Neck or Roxbury Neck was an isthmus, a narrow strip of land connecting the then-peninsular city of Boston to the mainland city of Roxbury . The surrounding area was gradually filled in as the city of Boston expanded in population. -History:The Boston Neck was originally about wide at...
or alternately, Roxbury Neck. (Boston has since land-filled around the area so that Boston is no longer located on an isthmus.) Since all initial land traffic to Boston had to pass through Roxbury, it became an important town. Originally, it would be home to a number of early leaders of the colony, including original Massachusetts Bay Colony treasurer
William PynchonWilliam Pynchon was an English colonist in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the iconoclastic author of the New World's first banned book...
, who left Roxbury in 1636 with nearly one third its men to found
Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
on far less rocky and more arable soil. Later, Roxbury would be home to colonial
governorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s
Thomas DudleyThomas Dudley was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home...
,
William ShirleyWilliam Shirley was a British colonial administrator who served twice as Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and as Governor of the Bahamas in the 1760s...
,
Increase SumnerIncrease Sumner was an American politician from Massachusetts. He served as the fifth governor of Massachusetts from 1797 to 1799. Trained as a lawyer, he served in the provisional government of Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary War, and was elected to the Confederation Congress in...
. The
Shirley-Eustis HouseThe Shirley-Eustis House is a historic house located at 145 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
, built at Roxbury during the period 1747–1751, is one of only four remaining Royal Colonial Governors' mansions in the United States.
The settlers of Roxbury originally comprised the congregation of the First Church of Roxbury, established in 1632. During this time the church served not only as a place of worship but as a meeting place for government. The congregation had no time to raise a meeting house the first winter and so met with the neighboring congregation in Dorchester. One of the early leaders of this church was
Amos AdamsAmos Adams was a diligent preacher, and minister of the first church in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1752. He was ordained as successor to Mr. Peabody September 12, 1753, and died at Dorchester on October 5, 1775, at age 48, of dysentery, which prevailed in the...
, and among the founders were
Richard DummerRichard Dummer was an early settler in New England who has been described as "one of the fathers of Massachusetts"....
and his wife Mary. The first meeting house was built in 1632, and the building pictured here is the fifth meeting house, the oldest such wood-frame church in Boston. The Roxbury congregation, still in existence as a member congregation of the
Unitarian Universalist AssociationUnitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
, lays claim to the historical founding - along with five other local congregations, i.e. Boston,
CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
,
WatertownThe Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
,
CharlestownCharlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
and Dorchester - of
Harvard CollegeHarvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
. Also, the First Church of Roxbury was the starting point for
William DawesWilliam Dawes, Jr. was one of several men and a woman who alerted colonial minutemen of the approach of British army troops prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the outset of the American Revolution....
' "Midnight Ride", April 18, 1775 (in a different direction than
Paul ReverePaul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
) to warn
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
and
ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
of the British raids during the
Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Urban and industrial development
As Roxbury developed in the 19th century, the northern part became an
industrialIndustry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
town with a large community of
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
,
IrishThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, and German immigrants and their descendants, while the majority of the town remained
agriculturalAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and saw the development of some of the first
streetcar suburbA streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
s in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This led to the incorporation of the old Roxbury village as one of
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
's first cities, and the rest of the town was established as the town of West Roxbury.
In the early 20th century, Roxbury became home to recent immigrants - A thriving Jewish community developed around Grove Hall, along Blue Hill Avenue, Seaver Street and into Dorchester along Columbia Road. A large Irish population also developed, with many activities centered around Dudley Square, which just before and following annexation into Boston, became a central location for Roxbury commerce. Following a
massive migrationThe Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
from the
SouthThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
to northern cities in the 1940s and 1950s, Roxbury became the center of the African-American community in Boston. The center of African American residential and social activities in Boston had formerly been on the north slope of Beacon Hill and the South End. In particular, a riot in response to the
assassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Martin Luther King Jr. resulted in stores on Blue Hill Avenue being
lootedLooting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
and eventually burned down, leaving a desolate and abandoned landscape which discouraged commerce and business development. Rampant
arsonArson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
in the 1970s along the Dudley Street corridor also added to the neighborhood's decline, leaving a landscape of vacant, trash filled lots and burned out buildings. The arrival of the
crack epidemicThe United States crack epidemic refers to the surge of crack houses and crack cocaine use in major cities in the United States between 1984 and 1990...
in the 1980s helped make Roxbury one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Boston. The violent crime would not be significantly reduced until the late 1990s. In early April 1987, the original Orange Line MBTA route along Washington Street was closed and relocated to the Southwest Corridor (where the Southwest Expressway was supposed to be built a couple decades before). More recently, grassroots efforts by residents have been the force behind revitalizing historic areas and creating Roxbury Heritage State Park, although an effort by some to secede from Boston and form an independent municipality named "Mandela" (after
South AfricanThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
activist
Nelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
) failed in 1986.
The
Boston Transportation Planning ReviewBoston Transportation Planning Review is a transportation planning program for metropolitan Boston, United States which was responsible for analyzing and re-designing the entire area-wide transit and highway system in the 1970s. The major contractors involved were Alan M...
stimulated relocation of the Orange Line, and development of the Southwest Corridor Park spurred major investment, including Roxbury Community College at Roxbury Crossing and Ruggles Center at Columbus Avenue and Ruggles Street. Commercial development now promises reinvestment in the form of shopping and related consumer services. The Fort Hill section experienced significant gentrification when college students (many from Northeastern University and
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyThe Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts...
),
artistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s, and young professionals moved into the area in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the present day, there is much commercial and residential redevelopment.
Demographics
Roxbury is still a majority African-American neighborhood as it has been since 1960, but there is a growing Puerto Rican population. In 1987,
Nelson MercedNelson Merced is a Massachusetts Latino activist and politician. He was the first Hispanic elected to the Massachusetts General Court, serving from 1989 to 1993 as Democratic representative from the fifth Suffolk District in Boston, including the Roxbury and North Dorchester neighborhoods.-Early...
, a Puerto Rican, was elected from the fifth Suffolk district in Boston. As of the 2010 census Roxbury was 20.6% Non-Hispanic White, 42.5% Non-Hispanic African-American or
BlackThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, 25.6% Hispanic or Latino, who can be of any race, 5.6% Asian-American, 2.5% from other races and 3% from two or more races.
Primary and secondary schools
Students in Roxbury are served by
Boston Public SchoolsBoston Public Schools is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Leadership:The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the Boston School Committee, a seven-member school board appointed by the Mayor after approval by a nominating committee of specified...
(BPS). BPS assigns students based on preferences of the applicants and priorities of students in various zones.
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School is a public charter school that serves Grades 6-8 in the Roxbury neighborhood of Mission Hill.
Roxbury High School was once located on Greenville Avenue.
Colleges and universities
Roxbury is home to
Roxbury Community CollegeRoxbury Community College is a community college in the Roxbury Crossing neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. RCC offers associate degrees in arts, and sciences, as well as certificates...
, and to
Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryGordon–Conwell Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary whose main campus is based in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, with three other campuses in Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville. The current president of Gordon-Conwell is Dennis Hollinger...
's Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME). Further, The
Eastern Nazarene CollegeThe Eastern Nazarene College is a private, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences in Quincy, Massachusetts near Boston, in the New England region of the United States. Known for its strong religious affiliation, distinctive liberal arts core curriculum, and excellence in science...
offers Adult Studies/LEAD classes in Roxbury.
Public libraries
Boston Public LibraryThe Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
operates the Dudley Branch Library in Roxbury. The branch, which opened in April 1978, replaced the Mount Pleasant Branch, a library branch, and the Fellowes Athenaeum, a privately endowed facility.Next to the Dudley Branch Library is the Dudley Literacy Center which assists patrons who are learning English as a second language. It is the largest public library literacy center in the Boston Public Library system. The Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library, which was formerly located on Crawford Street since 1971, is now located at 41 Geneva Avenue in Dorchester/Roxbury. The Branch is in a new facility that opened in April, 2009.
Notable residents
- Irving Ashby
Irving C. Ashby was an American jazz guitarist.Ashby was born in Somerville, Massachusetts. After playing rhythm guitar in Lionel Hampton's orchestra, he played in the Nat King Cole Trio from 1947 to 1951...
(1920–1987) jazz guitaristJazz guitarists are guitar players who play jazz music on the guitar using an approach to playing chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist and soloist in small and large ensembles and also as an unaccompanied...
- Ruth Batson
Ruth M. Batson was an American civil rights and education activist.Batson's career began with the NAACP Boston Branch...
(1921–2003), civil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and education activist
- Susan Batson
Susan Batson is an American producer, actress, author, and acting coach. Susan's mother, Ruth Batson, was a noted civil rights activist.-As an actress:* Running Out of Time in Hollywood * Everyone's Depressed .... Annette...
, actress, daughter of Ruth BatsonRuth M. Batson was an American civil rights and education activist.Batson's career began with the NAACP Boston Branch...
- Ricky Bell
Ricky Bell may refer to:*Ricky Bell , National Football League running back*Ricky Bell , Canadian Football League cornerback*Ricky Bell , R&B singer for New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe...
, Member of R&B group New EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
formed in Boston in 1978
- Michael Bivins
Michael Lamont Bivins, a.k.a. Biv , is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe...
, Member of R&B group New EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
formed in Boston in 1978
- Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee
Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee was a prominent 19th century Boston architect.-Life:Bradlee was born in Boston to Elizabeth Davis and Samuel Bradlee. He married Julia Rebecca Weld on April 17, 1855...
(1829–1888), architect
- Edward Brooke
Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...
, U.S. senator, first African American elected to Senate in the 20th century
- Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
, Member of R&B group New EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
formed in Boston in 1978
- Henry Dearborn
Henry Dearborn was an American physician, a statesman and a veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, New Hampshire, he spent much of his youth in Epping, where he attended public schools...
(1751–1829), physician, general, U.S. representative, U.S. Secretary of War
- Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn
Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn was an American lawyer, author, statesman and soldier...
(1783–1851), U.S. representative, mayor of Roxbury, son of Henry DearbornHenry Dearborn was an American physician, a statesman and a veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, New Hampshire, he spent much of his youth in Epping, where he attended public schools...
.
- Ronnie DeVoe
Ronnie DeVoe, aka R.D., is one of the members of the R&B sextet New Edition....
, Member of R&B group New EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
formed in Boston in 1978
- Joseph Dudley
Joseph Dudley was an English colonial administrator. A native of Roxbury, Massachusetts and son of one of its founders, he had a leading role in the administration of the unpopular Dominion of New England , and served briefly on the council of the Province of New York, where he oversaw the trial...
(1647–1720), colonial governor of Massachusetts, son of Thomas DudleyThomas Dudley was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home...
- Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home...
(1576–1653), colonial governor of Massachusetts
- Ed O.G.
Edward Anderson is a hip-hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, better known by his stage names Edo G and Ed O.G.. Although not widely known in the mainstream, Edo G has a cult following in Boston, and an international fanbase.-Career:Born in Roxbury—a rough, predominantly black...
, hip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist, founder of Da BulldogsDa Bulldogs, formerly united as Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs, is a hip-hop group from Boston, Massachusetts. Its members have included Ed O.G., T-Nyne, Game , DJ Cruz, Black, Bulletproof Brett, Mr. Muff, Slim Dog, Shawn Booker, Lorenzo, Bruzer, Mo, Tyrone, Money 1, K. Diamond, Dream Nefra, and Joe...
, named an album after Roxbury.
- John Eliot
John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...
(1604–1690), minister, Bible translatorThe Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Indeed, the full Bible has been translated into over 450 languages, although sections of the Bible have been translated into over 2,000 languages....
, founder of Roxbury Latin SchoolThe Roxbury Latin School is the oldest school in continuous operation in North America. The school was founded in Roxbury, Massachusetts by the Rev. John Eliot under a charter received from King Charles I of England. Since its founding in 1645, it has educated boys on a continuous basis.Located...
- Gustavus Esselen
Gustavus John Esselen was an American chemist born in Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at Harvard University where he was awarded the A.B. in chemistry in 1909 and a doctorate in 1912. Until 1921 he was a member of the research staff of General Electric and...
(1888–1952), chemist, born in Roxbury
- William Eustis
William Eustis was an early American statesman.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and studied at the Boston Latin School before he entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1772. He studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren and helped care for the wounded at the Battle of Bunker...
(1753–1825), governor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
, owner of Shirley-Eustis HouseThe Shirley-Eustis House is a historic house located at 145 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
in Roxbury
- Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
, Nation of IslamThe Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
leader, activist, raised in Roxbury
- Mark Frechette
Mark Frechette was an American film actor. He is best known for his lead role in the 1970 film Zabriskie Point, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, in which he was cast despite having no previous acting experience....
(1947–1975), film actor, Zabriskie PointZabriskie Point is a 1970 film by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, widely noted at the time for its setting in the late 1960s counterculture of the United States...
- The G-Clefs
The G-Clefs were an American soul group from Roxbury, Massachusetts.The G-Clefs consisted of four brothers and a fifth member who was a childhood friend. They first began performing locally around 1952...
, Top 40 Soul Group
- William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
(1805–1879), journalist, abolitionist, lived in Roxbury the last 15 years of his life
- Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson was an American graphic artist, best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century....
(1867–1944), illustrator
- Samuel Griswold Goodrich
Samuel Griswold Goodrich was an American author, better known under the pseudonym Peter Parley.-Biography:Goodrich was born at Ridgefield, Connecticut as the son of a Congregational minister...
(1793–1860), author, state legislator
- Guru
Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
(1961–2010), rapper, member/founder of Gang StarrGang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
- Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale was an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman. He was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills and at age thirteen was enrolled at Harvard University where he graduated second in his class...
(1822–1909), author, reformer, UnitarianUnitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
clergyman
- Roy Haynes
Roy Owen Haynes is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 60 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz...
(born 1925), jazz drummer and bandleader
- Elma Lewis
Elma Idna Lewis was the founder of the National Center of Afro-American Artists and the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. She received the MacArther Fellows Grant in 1981. She was also given a Presidential Medal for the Arts by President Ronald Reagan in 1983...
(1921–2004), arts educator, founder of the National Center of Afro-American ArtistsThe National Center of Afro-American Artists is an institution founded in 1968 by Elma Lewis to "preserv[e] and foster[] the cultural arts heritage of black peoples worldwide through arts teaching, and the presentation of professional works in all fine arts disciplines." Although the...
(NCAAA)
- Mel Lyman
Melvin James Lyman was an American cult leader, musician, film maker and writer.-Musician:Lyman grew up in California and Oregon...
(1938–1978), harmonica player, cult leader
- Nelson Merced
Nelson Merced is a Massachusetts Latino activist and politician. He was the first Hispanic elected to the Massachusetts General Court, serving from 1989 to 1993 as Democratic representative from the fifth Suffolk District in Boston, including the Roxbury and North Dorchester neighborhoods.-Early...
, state legislator, Latino activist
- Members of New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
, R&B / Pop group
- Patrice Oneal
Patrice Lumumba Malcolm Oneal , usually credited as Patrice O'Neal, was an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, and actor. He was known for his cutting, often confrontational crowd work during which he often played couples against each other...
, comedian, actor.
- Louis Prang
Louis Prang was an American printer, lithographer and publisher. He is sometimes known as the "father of the American Christmas card".- Youth :...
(1824–1909), printer, lithographer and publisher
- William Pynchon
William Pynchon was an English colonist in North America best known as the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He was also a colonial treasurer, original patentee of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the iconoclastic author of the New World's first banned book...
(1590–1662), founder of Roxbury and Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
- Sylvester H. Roper
Sylvester H. Roper was an inventor from Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, and a pioneering builder of early automobiles and motorcycles. In 1863 he built a steam carriage, one of the earliest automobiles...
(1823–1896), inventor
- Nathaniel Ruggles
Nathaniel Ruggles was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Ruggles graduated from Harvard University in 1781, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in his native town...
(1761–1819), U.S. representative.
- Byron Rushing
Byron Rushing serves the Ninth Suffolk district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A Democrat, first elected in 1982, Representative Rushing, serves as the Second Assistant Majority Leader...
, state legislator, activist
- Kenneth Kamal Scott
Kenneth Kamal Scott is a singer, dancer and actor whose sixty-five year career has included numerous achievements in a diverse array of genres and settings, including Broadway, jazz, pop, opera, ballet and modern dance....
, singer, dancer, actor, nephew of Irving AshbyIrving C. Ashby was an American jazz guitarist.Ashby was born in Somerville, Massachusetts. After playing rhythm guitar in Lionel Hampton's orchestra, he played in the Nat King Cole Trio from 1947 to 1951...
.
- Ebenezer Seaver
Ebenezer Seaver was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, Seaver graduated from Harvard University in 1784.He engaged in agricultural pursuits....
(1763–1844), U.S. representative.
- William Shirley
William Shirley was a British colonial administrator who served twice as Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and as Governor of the Bahamas in the 1760s...
(1694–1771), colonial governor of Massachusetts, built Shirley-Eustis HouseThe Shirley-Eustis House is a historic house located at 145 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
in Roxbury
- Aafia Siddiqui
Aafia Siddiqui is an American-educated Pakistani cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison; in September 2010, she was sentenced by a United States district court to 86...
, neuroscientistNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, alleged Al-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
operative, Roxbury resident 1995-2001
- Ebenezer Stevens
Ebenezer Stevens was a Major General in the United States Army.He was born on 11 Aug 1751 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer Stevens and Elizabeth Weld. His first wife was Rebecca Hodgden - they married in Providence, Rhode Island on October 11, 1774. He married secondly on 4 May 1784...
(1751–1823), American Revolution activist, officer
- Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
(1924–1982), jazz saxophonist
- John L. Sullivan
John Lawrence Sullivan , also known as the Boston Strong Boy, was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1881 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules...
(1858–1918), boxing heavyweight champion, born in Roxbury
- Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, R&B Star, "Queen of Disco"
- Increase Sumner
Increase Sumner was an American politician from Massachusetts. He served as the fifth governor of Massachusetts from 1797 to 1799. Trained as a lawyer, he served in the provisional government of Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary War, and was elected to the Confederation Congress in...
(1746–1799), governor of Massachusetts
- Ralph Tresvant
Ralph Tresvant , aka Rizz, is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.-New Edition:Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love"...
, Member of R&B group New EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
formed in Boston in 1978
- Jimmy Walker
James "Jimmy" Walker was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he played nine seasons in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings. Walker was a two-time All-Star who scored 11,655 points in his career...
(1944–2007), professional basketball guard
- Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
(1741–1775), physician, Revolutionary major general
- "Masspike Miles" Wheeler (born 1980), R&B artist, member of Perfect Gentlemen
Perfect Gentlemen were an American trio of teen R&B vocalists formed under the direction of Maurice Starr, who discovered New Edition and New Kids on the Block.Starr put the group together in Boston in 1988, and had them tour the U.S opening for the New Kids...
.
- Tony Williams (1945–1997), jazz drummer, grew up in Roxbury
- Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
(1925–1965), Nation of IslamThe Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
minister and activist, spent formative years in Roxbury.
Sites of interest
- Franklin Park Zoo
The Franklin Park Zoo is a zoo located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently operated by Zoo New England, which also operates the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts...
- Shirley-Eustis House
The Shirley-Eustis House is a historic house located at 145 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
- John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science
The John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, formerly known as Boston Technical High School is a college preparatory public examination school along with Boston Latin School and Boston Latin Academy that specializes in mathematics, science, technology and engineering in the city of...
- Roxbury Historic Markers
See also
- Dudley Square
Dudley Square is the primary commercial center of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Washington Street...
- Roxbury Film Festival
The Roxbury Film Festival is an annual event held in the historic Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. RFF is co-produced by the non-profits ACT Roxbury and The Color of Film Collaborative...
- St. Joseph's Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church was a parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, serving the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The parish was established in 1845, and a church was built in the same year. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989...
- West Roxbury
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
- Former Mayors of Roxbury
- Roxbury High Fort
Roxbury High Fort is an historic fort site on Beech Glen Street at Fort Avenue in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The site now contains a small park which is dominated by the historic 1869 Cochituate Standpipe ....
- Boston Latin Academy
Boston Latin Academy is a public exam school founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts providing students in grades 7th through 12th a rigorous classical preparatory education....
Further reading
- Roxbury Directory. Roxbury: John Backup. 1858; 1866.
- "Historical Sketch of Boston Highlands", Mercantile Publishing Company, Boston, 1888. There is much information on Roxbury.
- City of Boston & Boston Redevelopment Authority
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial developments.The BRA was established by the Boston city council and the Massachusetts legislature in 1957...
, "Roxbury Strategic Master Plan", 2004
- Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell; Rosenberg, Charlie, Roxbury, Arcadia Publishing, Then & Now series, 2007
- Roxbury History—Boston Landmarks Commission (2007 archived version)
External links
- 1832 Map of the Town of Roxbury - Jamaica Plain Historical Society
- 1832 Map of Roxbury by John G. Hales at the BPL.
- 1849 Map of Roxbury by Charles Whitney at the BPL.
- 1868 Map of Roxbury and Boston by E.P.Dutton at the BPL.
- 1895 Outline and Ward Index Map of Boston and Roxbury by George and Walter Bromley.
- 1895 Map of Ward 17 Roxbury area of Hampton, Gerand, Allerton, and Mass. Ave showing New England Piano, Mechanics Foundry, and Boston Lead Works at DavidRumsey.com .
- 1895 Atlas of Boston and Roxbury links to the Roxbury Plates - 19, 20, 21, and 31-45.
- Bailey Co. Map—1888 bird's-eye view map of Roxbury area
- Vital Records Of Roxbury 1765-1870 population
- Discover Roxbury—tours and information
- Shirley-Eustis House—Massachusetts' Royal Governor's Mansion
- Roxbury Crossing Historical Trust—historical society
- Roxbury Neighborhood - Boston Revelopment Authority
- The La Alianza Hispana records, 1960-1999 (bulk 1975-1995) are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The Lower Roxbury Community Corporation records, 1968-1978 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The Roxbury Multi-Service Center records, 1965-2002 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The Lower Roxbury Black History Project records, 2007-2009 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- Boston Pictorial Archive. Boston Public Library. Images of Roxbury