Abiel Smith School
The case over a five-year-old sent to this school was still being cited against Black Americans fifty years on.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
To reach this building every morning, a five-year-old girl had to walk past five other schools. Her name was Sarah Roberts. Boston in 1847 sent Black children here, to the Abiel Smith School. Her father, Benjamin Roberts, asked the school committee four times to let her attend a school near home. Four times it said no. He enrolled her at the nearby Otis School anyway. She was removed.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
46 Joy Street. Museum of African American History. Its site lists Thursday to Sunday, ten to four, with timed entry. The National Park Service lists adult tickets at ten or fifteen dollars and says prices change (August 2026). Reserve at maah.org.
Photos
Sources
- National Park Service, The Sarah Roberts Case
- National Park Service, Abiel Smith School
- West End Museum, Sarah C. Roberts
- Boston Globe, How Roberts v. City of Boston set a precedent (2022)
- National Park Service, Operating Hours (updated August 2026)
- Museum of African American History, Boston visit
- Wikipedia, Plessy v. Ferguson (date)
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