Category: Slavery
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Old North Church Reckons With its Past While Charting a Course for its Future
A horrific discovery has been the catalyst for a new reckoning at Old North Church & Historic Site. Like many historic sites in the Northeast, Old North Church, located in Boston, Mass., sits at a paradoxical intersection of freedom and unfreedom. To many, the steeple is an icon of American liberty and independence. Yet, recent…
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The People in the Pews: The Bay Pew
Near the very front of the Old North Church is a plush, velvet-lined pew dedicated to the “Gentlemen of the Bay of Honduras.” It is a curious feature for a church built in Boston, and the faded brass marker on “The Bay Pew” reveals a dramatic chapter in the rich history of New England, the…
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The People in the Pews: Mary Gibbs
“With an extension of her allusion religious activities can be seen as a means used by New England women to define self and find community, two functions that worldly occupations more likely performed for men.” – Nancy F. Cott, The Bonds of Womanhood Forever stamped on the brass plate of Pew No.8, the name Mary…
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The People in the Pews: Upper Level Gallery
“And who sat up there?” This is a question often received in reference to Old North’s upper gallery. From the lower level, the pews above seem miles away; a looming set of white rows disconnected from the world below. This observation, perhaps, points directly to the answer of who occupied those pews. The gallery was…
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99% Sure | Ep 7: The Atlantic Logwood Trade (Season Finale)
Welcome to our Season 1 finale of “99% Sure”, a video series where we take a deeper dive into the legends, people, and events of Old North that sum up the significance of history as it ties to our present moment. Over the last 7 episodes, Old North’s Education Manager and intrepid public historian T.J.…
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Bittersweet Associations: Old North, Cacao Smuggling, and Slave Trading in 18th C. America
On the night of May 31, 1743, terror struck the Rising Sun. As the ship tracked eastward off the coast of Suriname, three sailors snuck into the ship’s cabin and attacked the people sleeping inside. Blood curdling screams echoed out of the cabin, across the ship, and onto the deck above. Two of the victims, captain Newark…
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Old North’s Mini Courses: #4 – Maritime Mania
Has it been a while since your high school history classes? Have you been watching too many historically inaccurate movies or TV shows? Or maybe you’re just looking for some old-fashioned intellectual stimulation? Then look no further than Old North’s Mini-Courses! Each month we will offer a new mini-course on a variety of topics for all…
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Boston’s Smallpox Epidemic: 18th C. Quarantine and Inoculation
Boston in the early 1720s was a town in the midst of an epidemic. Brought to Boston on a ship from the carribean in early 1721, the disease referred to as Smallpox had swept through the town. By 1722 over half of the city’s populace of 11,000 had fallen ill to Smallpox Boston in the…
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Juneteenth: A Reflection
On Friday, June 19, we mark 155 years since Union General Gordon Granger announced General Order Number 3 (proclaimed on June 19, 1865), which informed the people of Texas that the institution of slavery had ended and that previously enslaved people were free. It had taken considerable time for this information to reach Texas (the…
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The Shaw Memorial: A Reflection of Black Struggle
The Messenger series features scholarly articles exploring how Old North and our region fit into a greater historical perspective while celebrating the academic work of a variety of voices from students to casual history buffs to published authors and leading academicians. The Shaw Memorial: A Reflection of Black Struggle In 2016, Massachusetts unveiled a redesigned driver’s license,…