Scenes From Black Boston

In this gallery, the Black Bucket List tours the other side of Boston's rich history -- the black side.

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  1 of 9

  Robert Gould Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial

  Courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston

  This moving scene on the edge of the Boston Common depicts black volunteer soldiers and their white colonel as they set off for battle against the Confederate Army in 1863. The 1989 film Glory, starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, told the story of the courageous black regiment.

  Captions by Gary Lee

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  2 of 9

  The Abiel Smith House

  Courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston

  Opened in 1835 on Beacon Hill, this was the first public school for blacks in the U.S. Exhibitions for the Museum of African American History are held here.

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  3 of 9

  Eternal Presence

  Courtesy of Discover Roxbury

  This 7-foot sculpture by artist John Wilson sits outside the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Art in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.

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  4 of 9

  The African Meeting House, Nantucket

  Courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston

  Dating back to the 1820s, this house was used as a school, church and meetinghouse for black people on the island.

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  5 of 9

  The African Meeting House, Boston

  Courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston

  Constructed in 1806 on Beacon Hill, this building served as a church and gathering point for local blacks.

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  6 of 9

  The Higginbotham House, Nantucket

  Courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston

  This stately home, black owned since the Revolutionary War period, is a testament to the strong history of freed blacks in New England. The house was apparently built for freed slave Seneca Boston in 1774. In 1933 Florence Higginbotham, who worked on Nantucket as a young black teenager, bought the building. It is now owned and managed by the Museum of African American History in Boston.

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  Roxbury's Community Hub

  Courtesy of the Haley House Bakery and Café

  The Haley House Bakery and Café always draws a warm crowd in Roxbury, the heart of Boston's black community.

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  8 of 9

  Food for the Soul

  Courtesy of Coast Café

  The Cambridge, Mass.-based Coast Café serves fried chicken, collard greens and other Southern dishes.

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  9 of 9

  Senegalese Boston

  Courtesy of Teranga

  Teranga, a popular restaurant in Boston's South End, features Senegalese cuisine. "Teranga" means "hospitality" in Wolof, and the restaurant lives up to its name.

 

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