John J. Smith House

John J. Smith House
General information
Location	Beacon Hill
Address	Private residence: 86 Pinckney Street
Town or city	Boston
Country	United States
Coordinates	42°21′31″N71°04′10″W / 42.3587085°N 71.0694957°W / 42.3587085; -71.0694957

John J. Smith House was the home of John J. Smith from 1878 to 1893. Smith was an African American abolitionist, Underground Railroad contributor and politician, including three terms as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He also played a key role in rescuing Shadrach Minkins (a then slave) from federal custody, along with Lewis Hayden and others.

John J. Smith

Born free in Richmond, Virginia, John J. Smith (1820–1906) moved to Boston in the late 1840s. ^[1] Smith was an African American abolitionist leader who helped people escape slavery on the Underground Railroad. He was also a recruiting officer for the all-black 5th Cavalry during the Civil War and then a three-term member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. ^[1]

In the early 1870s, his daughter Elizabeth Smith started teaching at the Phillips School and was probably the first African American to teach in an integrated Boston public school. ^[2]

Black Heritage Trail

The house is a Boston African American historical site located on the Black Heritage Trail in Beacon Hill. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

References

1. "Boston African American NHS Park Brochure, Side 2" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 27, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2013. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .
2. "Phillips School". National Park Service. Retrieved April 26, 2013. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .
3. Fodor's (December 16, 2008). The Official Guide to America's National Parks, 13th Edition. Fodor's Travel Publications. pp. 441–. ISBN   978-1-4000-1628-0 . Retrieved April 26, 2013.
4. David L. Scott; Kay W. Scott (1997). Guide to the National Park Areas, Eastern States . Globe Pequot. pp.  110–112. Retrieved April 26, 2013.

External links

• Boston African American National Historic Site (NPS)