Topic: Schools & Education
Schools, students, teachers, education, educational journeys

Art & LiteratureBusinessImmigrant NeighborhoodImmigrationNew BostonPolitics & LawSchools & EducationSports photograph of a man seated at a desk and working on a piece of calligraphy

Joseph Rosen: The Engrosser of Harvard

Inspired by his experiences at the West End House and Hale House, Joseph Rosen became one of the country’s leading engrossers, thanks in part to the kindness of James Jackson Storrow. He inscribed over 125,000 diplomas during his career, mainly for Harvard graduates, but he also produced honorary degrees for dignitaries such as the Roosevelt’s, Kennedy’s, and Winston Churchill. Despite his success, he never forgot the opportunities he received in the West End and found ways later in life to honor the West End House and its great benefactor.

Read article
AbolitionAfrican AmericansImmigrant NeighborhoodSchools & EducationSocial & Religious InstitutionsWest BostonWomen Photograph of a woman sitting in profile with her hair tied back.

Eliza Gardner: A Life Dedicated to Activism and Service

Raised in a West End home which served as a refuge for fugitive slaves, Eliza Ann Gardner learned the power of social activism at an early age. She dedicated her long life to the struggle for abolitionism, women’s rights, temperance, and still managed to run a successful business. She contributed significantly to the transformation of Black women’s roles in churches and public culture, and served as an inspiration to millions around the world, including her younger cousin, academic and civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois.

Read article
AbolitionAfrican AmericansImmigrant NeighborhoodNeighborhood LifeSchools & EducationSocial & Religious InstitutionsWest BostonWomen photograph of the title page of The Memoir of James Jackson by Susan Paul, published by James Loring of Boston in 1835

Susan Paul: Abolitionist, Educator and Author

Susan Paul (1809 -1841) worked as an abolitionist, educator, and author from the north slope of Beacon Hill in the West End. She fought against slavery in every aspect of her professional life through her education of African American students, the inspirational music performed by her choir, and her landmark work, The Memoir of James Jackson, the earliest known prose narrative and biography by an African American woman in the United States.

Read article
BusinessCity PlanningImmigrant NeighborhoodPolitics & LawSchools & EducationSocial & Religious InstitutionsSportsTransportation & IndustryUrban Renewal Magazine cover with the words 1915 New Boston written across the top and above a scene of the city of Boston viewed from the harbor with boats and people in the foreground and framed by two large pillars topped with birds with out-stretched wings

The Boston-1915 Movement and the West End

The Boston-1915 Committee was formed in 1909 to improve conditions in Boston and to make it “the finest city in the world” by 1915. For many West Enders, Boston-1915 represented the promise of a brighter future, but none of them could have foreseen that some of the movement’s ideas would inspire city leaders to demolish the West End half a century later.

Read article