Albert Boer

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Albert Boer on his Schoorl Houseboat Albert Boer on a Houseboat, c. 1990's.jpg
Albert Boer on his Schoorl Houseboat

Albert Boer (1935 – 3 October 2002) was a Dutch author and sculptor. He is best known for his book Kamp Schoorl, a historical account of the Kamp Schoorl concentration camp in the Netherlands. Boer also worked as a community organizer and artist in the United States during the civil rights era before returning to the Netherlands in the 1980s.

Contents

Early life and education

Boer was born in 1935 in Beverwijk, Netherlands. In the mid-1950s, he moved to the United States after receiving a Rotary International scholarship. He studied at Morehouse College and Spelman College of Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). [1]

Career

Civil rights and community work

During his time in the United States, Boer worked in community-based social programs connected to the civil rights movement. He was associated with several Boston and Detroit settlement houses, including United South End Settlements, Franklin-Wright Settlement House, and the Elizabeth Peabody House. He earlier served as a program director at Lincoln House in Boston. [2]

In 1966, Boer authored The Development of USES, a historical chronology of United South End Settlements covering the period from 1891 to 1966. The work was commissioned and sponsored by the organization and is held in the United South End Settlements archives at Northeastern University Libraries. [3]

Artistic work

Boer also worked as a sculptor in wood, clay, and bronze. His sculptural work included public and institutional commissions in the United States and the Netherlands. He is documented as having created a sculpture of Harriet Tubman for the Harriet Tubman House in Boston. [4]

Boer lived for extended periods on houseboats, including in Boston’s Fort Point Channel and later in Schoorl, Netherlands.

Publications

Kamp Schoorl documents the history of the Kamp Schoorl concentration camp and has been cited in Dutch historical and memorial contexts. [5]

Death

Boer died on 3 October 2002 in Groet, Netherlands, where he had been living on a houseboat.

References

  1. "Albert Boer". WorldCat Identities. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  2. "Albert Boer oral history interview". City of Boston Archives. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  3. "United South End Settlements Records". Northeastern University Libraries. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  4. "Harriet Tubman House History". Harriet Tubman House. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  5. "Het Kamp Schoorl". Stichting Conserve. Retrieved 26 July 2025.

[1] [2] [3] Kamp Schoorl documents the history of the Kamp Schoorl concentration camp and is held in multiple national and university library catalogs. |url=… |access-date=1 February 2026}}</ref> [4] [5]

  1. "Kamp Schoorl / Albert Boer". Koninklijke Bibliotheek. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  2. "Het Kamp Schoorl". Stichting Conserve. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  3. "United South End Settlements Records". Northeastern University Libraries. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  4. Boer, Albert. Kamp Schoorl . Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  5. "Het Kamp Schoorl". Stichting Conserve. Retrieved 1 February 2026.