Social & Religious Institutions – The West End Museum

An engraving a a three story church buildings. People in long dresses walk and stand outside.

The Fugitive Slave Church: The Twelfth Baptist Church, Leonard Grimes, and Abolitionism in the West End

Established in 1840, Boston’s Twelfth Baptist Church was located on the North Slope of Beacon Hill (in the historic West End) until its move to Roxbury in 1906. In the 1850s and ‘60s, the Church defiantly mobilized in response to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Under the leadership of Leonard Grimes, the congregation raised funds to aid freedom seekers and became known as the “Fugitive Slave Church.” This active political, cultural, and religious meeting place had many prominent members and visitors from the Black abolitionist community, including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Lewis and Harriet Hayden, Shadrach Minkins, Anthony Burns, Thomas Sims, Christiana Carteaux and Edward Mitchell Bannister, and Peter Randolph.

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Art & Literature Social & Religious Institutions West Boston

A black and white photograph of an older man, seated and looking at the camera. He wears a suit.

Alexander Parris: Architect of West End Landmarks

Architect Alexander Parris (1780-1852) designed some of Boston’s most enduring neoclassical architectural landmarks, from Quincy Market to St. Paul’s Church. Parris also played a role in three notable projects in the West End: Massachusetts General Hospital’s Bulfinch Building, the Leverett Street Jail, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Politics & Law Social & Religious Institutions

An early 20th-century poster, labelled: "Hendricks Club. Boston's Famous Democratic Organization." Beneath the title are photographs of Martin Lomasney, the club (a brick building), and a group of men.

Martin Lomasney & John Ignatius Fitzgerald: A West End Political Relationship

After Martin Lomasney (1859-1933), the legendary “Mahatma of Boston,” made John Ignatius Fitzgerald (1882-1966) a precinct captain at age 18, Fitzgerald became Lomasney’s right-hand man. Their political relationship provides a window into the inner workings of early-twentieth-century ward politics in the West End.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life Social & Religious Institutions Women

A black and white photograph of a woman standing in front of a house, holding an old camera.

Helen Osborne & James Jackson Storrow: West End Benefactors

Helen Osborne Storrow (1864-1944) and James Jackson Storrow (1864-1926) were influential Bostonian philanthropists. Much of their work had a lasting impact on the West End, especially through their support of the West End House, Charles River Basin development, and Saturday Evening Girls’ club.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Immigration Neighborhood Life Social & Religious Institutions Women

A black and white photograph of a group of young girls, wearing white frocks and carrying plates.

The Frances E. Willard Settlement House

Founded in 1894, the Frances E. Willard Settlement House was located on the West End’s Chambers Street for nearly five decades. The Settlement House aimed to serve the neighborhood’s immigrant population and factory workers by offering social services, community clubs, and housing to young women and children.

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New Fields Social & Religious Institutions War

An eighteenth century drawn map, showing streets, pastures, and a church at the corner of Cambridge and Lynde streets.

Boston’s Original West Church: A Revolutionary Meetinghouse

The original West Church, a wood-framed structure erected in 1737 at the corner of Cambridge and Lynde Streets, played a significant role in Revolutionary-era Boston. At this site, minister Jonathan Mayhew preached for civil liberties and resistance to tyranny, influencing prominent patriots such as John Adams and Paul Revere. The church was used as barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city and its steeple was destroyed by British forces in 1775. Severely damaged during the Revolutionary War, the original West Church was taken down and the current Old West Church was built in 1806.

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City Planning History Politics & Law Social & Religious Institutions West Boston Women

lithograph showing the front of a four story brick building, lined with windows and topped with 11 chimneys. The building is surrounded by grass and a few trees.

The Leverett Street Almshouse

For almost twenty-five years, the Leverett Street Almshouse dominated Barton’s Point, a blunt strip of land jutting out from the West End into the Charles River. In this building, designed by Charles Bulfinch, Boston continued to carry out its tradition of housing and caring for its most needy residents.

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Business Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life Social & Religious Institutions Urban Renewal

A brightly colored postcard showing a bustling city square with businesses and people walking.

Scollay Square

Scollay Square was a vibrant entertainment hub in Boston from the mid-19th century to the early 1960s, known for its burlesque theaters, comedy shows, boisterous bars, and eclectic mix of businesses. Located directly next to the West End at the intersection of Cambridge, Court, and Tremont streets, it attracted both locals and out-of-town visitors, including sailors, with its lively nightlife and commercial offerings. The area was demolished in 1962 as part of an urban renewal project, to be replaced by Government Center.

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