Anthony Burns, Court Square
A failed rescue, federal troops, and one man marched to a boat.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
A coffin marked Liberty hung over the street a short walk from here, where Court, State and Washington Streets meet. It was the second of June, 1854. About fifty thousand people lined the way. Buildings were draped in black, and some flags flew upside down. Soldiers, marines and militia were marching one man down State Street to a boat. Anthony Burns was about twenty. He had escaped slavery in Virginia on a ship bound for Boston, and a letter to his brother gave him away.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
26 Court Street, downtown Boston, near State station. This is the site of the courthouse, not the building, and it is not open to the public. See it from the sidewalk, then walk down to the Old State House and along State Street toward the harbor.
Sources
- National Park Service, God Made Me a Man, Not a Slave: The Arrest of Anthony Burns
- National Park Service, Boston Courthouse
- Massachusetts Historical Society, Only the Beginning of Difficulties (2010)
- Boston Globe, Remembering one of the most dramatic protests in Boston history (2020)
- House Divided, Dickinson College, Trial of Anthony Burns
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