Smith Court (Classic)
5/1/202616 min
In Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, there was once a revolutionary community for African Americans willing to do whatever it took to maintain their own freedom – and help others achieve theirs. Learn more about planning a trip to Smith Court via the Black Heritage Trail.
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First 90 secondsBaudelaire· Host0:02
All right. I am in Beacon Hill. Very bougie. There's a Whole Foods, a Starbucks, people walking their dog. A lot of people walking their dog, actually. Beacon Hill is a very quaint neighborhood in Boston. Gas lamps, cobblestone roads, and a lot of old red brick buildings. The neighborhood is split into two sides, the North Slope and the South Slope. The South Slope has pretty much always been upscale like this, but the North Slope, that's another story. Back in the 1800s, the North Slope of Beacon Hill was home to a community of a couple thousand free Black people. This community was surrounding a small dead-end street called Smith Court. Smith Court isn't huge. It's made up of one block, and there's only a few buildings. There's a boarding house, a school, and the African Meeting House, which used to be a Baptist church. This small street and this neighborhood have a lot of revolutionary history. But don't just take it from me. Here's a little story.
Sean Quigley· Guest1:14
Are you familiar with the story of William and Ellen Craft?
Baudelaire· Host1:16
This is Sean Quigley. He is a national park ranger and a storyteller. William and Ellen Craft were a married couple who were both formerly enslaved in the state of Georgia, until one day they decided to escape. And their method of escape