The West End Museum | Boston Beyond the Revolution

ABOUT

The West End Museum tells the story of Boston’s West End neighborhood - collecting, preserving, and sharing the history and culture of the 'Greatest Neighborhood This Side of Heaven'.

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HISTORY

Explore the story of a dynamic urban neighborhood — the origin of abolition, a major transportation hub, Boston’s most diverse neighborhood, and the nation’s greatest tragedy of urban renewal.

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VISIT

Come by the WEM to say hello and dive into West End history! We are currently closed.

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PROGRAMS

We offer a wide variety of programs from talks to musical performances. Check out what’s coming up at the museum.

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SUPPORT

Your support insures that the legacy of the West End neighborhood can be shared in Boston and beyond for many years to come.

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EXHIBITS

Our exhibits explore the wide range of history in the West End from its origins to the present day. Check out what’s live, or look through a past exhibit, here.

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13May

Boston Trivia Night

Bulfinch Social

14May

Joy Street Jail Murder in a Nutshell with Frances McNamara

The West End Museum

29May

Harriet Film Screening

The West End Museum

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On View at the Museum

An Illusion of Freedom: Boston and the Fugitive Slave Laws

An Illusion of Freedom: Boston and the Fugitive Slave Laws Open from February 27th through June 1st of 2025. This exhibit explores the documentary history of the legalization of slavery in the United States, and the creation of federal laws prioritizing the rights of slaveholders over basic human rights. Focused on the period from the…

Special Exhibit

Opens February 27, Closes May 2025

A map showing 2 overlapping shorelines of Boston to illustrate the massive landfill projects between 1800 and 1900

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End The West End Museum’s permanent exhibit, Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End, explores 400 years of history and urban development in the City of Boston through the use of interactive digital media, film, artifacts, and archival material. We want you to feel the West End…

Permanent Exhibit

Always Up

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Explore a West End Story

Abolition African Americans New Fields West Boston

A print of a group of white men in top hats kidnapping a Black man.

The Fugitive Slave Laws in Boston: Part 1, 1641–1849

This article, part 1 in a two-part series, explores the documentary history of the legalization of slavery in the United States, and the creation of federal laws prioritizing the rights of slaveholders over basic human rights. Part 1 surveys Massachusetts’ legalization of slavery in 1641; its abolishment of slavery in 1783; the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793; and how abolitionist organizations in Boston defied the Fugitive Slave Laws in order to help escaped enslaved people defend their freedom.

An aerial plan of the neighborhood of Charlestown, showing a large number of buildings colored in, coded with needing "serious" or "major" repairs.

Urban Renewal in Boston’s Charlestown Neighborhood and Lessons Learned from the West End

City Planning, Immigrant Neighborhood, New Boston, Urban RenewalMay 1, 2025

A black and white photograph of the inside of a shul, with interior decorations, men standing in suits and hats, and a sign that reads: "built by Sam Katz 1920."

The Rise and Fall of Jewish Life in the West End

Immigrant Neighborhood, Immigration, Social & Religious Institutions, West BostonApril 24, 2025

A black and white photograph of a Black woman holding a bicycle.

West End Women: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

Immigrant Neighborhood, West Boston, WomenApril 17, 2025

Fragments of pearlware ceramics against a black backdrop. They are cream-colored with blue flowers.

Domingo Williams

African Americans, Business, Social & Religious Institutions, West BostonApril 8, 2025

A black and white photograph of a city block, lined with 4-5 story brick buildings, with crowds of people in the street.

Revisiting Joseph Caruso’s “The Priest” & the West End’s Sicilian Immigrant Community

Art & Literature, Immigrant Neighborhood, Neighborhood LifeMarch 29, 2025

You can help tell these stories!

You can become a member to support our work and get some awesome perks; volunteer to engage with the West End hands-on; or donate to ensure that we can keep the West End story alive!

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