Experience the Black Heritage Trail and get to know more about Civil War-era Boston on this small-group walking tour. In the company of a guide, head out into Beacon Hill and hear stories about the Underground Railroad, Boston Brahmins, and other historical facts. Enjoy a focus particularly on the Civil War years.
- Explore Boston on foot
- Learn about the Civil War in Boston from your guide
- Enjoy focused attention on a small-group tour
- Visit landmarks on the Black Heritage Trail
What To Expect
Charles Street
The tour gathers on Boston Common at the intersection of Beacon and Charles Streets. Please meet your guide at 1 Charles Street (02108), inside Boston Common and across the street from Starbucks Coffee.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Boston Common
Oldest public land in the Americas and Boston’s communal grazing pasture (1634)
• Admission Ticket Free
Acorn Street
Narrow cobblestone alleyways wind throughout historic Beacon Hill
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Louisburg Square
Elegant neighborhood square from elite world of 19th-century “Boston Brahmins”
• Admission Ticket Free
Phillips School
Built as a whites-only school in 1824, but among the first schools to integrate in Boston by 1855
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
John J Smith House
Home of leading abolitionist, state legislator, and former barber
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Charles Street
Primary thoroughfare of Beacon Hill, lined with local shops and restaurants
• Admission Ticket Free
Charles Street Meeting House
Historic meeting house (1807) and site of contentious debate over racial integration
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
John Coburn House
Home of African-American community activist and abolitionist
• Admission Ticket Free
Lewis and Harriet Hayden House
Underground Railroad safe house owned by the Haydens, staunch abolitionists who were formerly enslaved
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Otis House
1796 residence of Harrison Gray Otis, Boston mayor and nephew of revolutionary James Otis, Jr.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Old West Church
Historic 1806 church designed by noted architect Asher Benjamin
• Admission Ticket Free
Charles Sumner House
Home of outspoken abolitionist and U.S. Senator beaten unconscious in the Capitol over the issue of slavery in 1856.
• Admission Ticket Free
Smith Court Residences
Homes of several African-American abolitionists, including historian William Cooper Nell
• Admission Ticket Free
Abiel Smith School
Founded in 1835 as segregated school for Boston’s African-American children
• Admission Ticket Free
African Meeting House
Cultural center of Boston’s African-American community and oldest extant black church building in the U.S. (1806)
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
George Middleton House
Oldest extant house in Beacon Hill (1787) was home to African-American Revolutionary War veteran
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts state capitol and “Hub of the Solar System” (1798)
• Admission Ticket Free
Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial
Our tour concludes beside the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial opposite 24 Beacon Street.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Highlight
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not recommended for travelers who have difficulty standing for extended periods
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Max group – 15
