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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.

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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.

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Thomas L. Jenks and the Jenks Building

Thomas L. Banks left New Hampshire for Boston in 1845 to pursue a degree in medicine from Harvard University. He settled in the West End where he built a successful medical practice and forged a career in local and state politics. The site of his successful apothecary business, formerly known as the Jenks Building, still stands today at 132 Portland Street and is noted as one of the more architecturally unique historic buildings in the Bulfinch Triangle.

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The West End’s “Bakery with a Thousand Windows”

The Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company (previously Austin Biscuit Company, and later Sunshine Biscuit) opened its “bakery with a thousand windows” in the West End in the early 1900s. The company’s location on Causeway Street was an ideal spot to do business in Boston. Workers at the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company formed a mutual aid association and formed close relationships through both work and play.

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City PlanningModernNeighborhood LifeNew BostonNew FieldsUrban RenewalWest Boston

The Secrets of Ridgeway Lane

Easily missed as one trundles down Cambridge Street or behind the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House, Ridgeway Lane in the historic West End is one of Boston’s longest and narrowest streets. Often mistaken for a simple alley, it has served ropewalk workers, residents, Suffolk University students, and the occasional criminal on the run for over 250 years. As one walks the length of this dark road, surrounded by brick on both sides and heavy paving stones below, it is hard to imagine much life here. Yet, hidden, urban pathways like Ridgeway Lane hold many stories worth telling.

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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.

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