African Meeting House
The oldest surviving Black church building in the US, known as the “Black Faneuil Hall”
The story
Before you is the African Meeting House, the oldest surviving Black church building in the United States. It opened in 1806. It was built by a small but powerful community of free African Americans who lived on the north slope of Beacon Hill. The building served as a church, a school and a place for political meetings. At the dedication on the sixth of December 1806, the seats downstairs were given to the community’s white friends, and the members themselves sat in the gallery. The Meeting House was known as the “Black Faneuil Hall.” Opponents of slavery and champions of women’s rights spoke here: Frederick Douglass, the writer Maria Stewart, Sarah Grimké, William Lloyd Garrison. In 1832 Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society here. The New England Freedom Association also met here. It helped people escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses on the way north. During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass and others recruited volunteers here for the 54th and 55th Massachusetts regiments, which enlisted Black soldiers. Next door stands the Abiel Smith School, the first building built as a public school for Black children. Today both buildings are the Museum of African American History and part of the Black Heritage Trail.
Visiting
46 Joy Street, Beacon Hill. The Meeting House and the school are part of the Museum of African American History. General admission is Thursday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00. Book tickets at maah.org.
Photos
Sources
- National Park Service — African Meeting House
- Wikipedia (EN) — African Meeting House
- Museum of African American History — Hours and tickets
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