In 1739, Isaac Royall, Jr inherited his father’s brick home in Charlestown (now Medford). Though the house had already been expanded since being built in 1692 on the site of an earlier John Winthrop house, Royall greatly expanded and remodeled it over the years. Royall was a wealthy slave trader, and he added a large slave quarters to house the enslaved Africans he owned. Today, it is the last remaining slave quarters in New England, and the main house is a colonial-period gem.
The Royall House and Slave Quarters have invited us to join them for a tour and a volunteer-led discussion of the site’s history. We will also discuss Belinda’s Petition, in which one of Isaac Royall’s former slaves successfully petitioned the Massachusetts government for back pay for her time as a slave, a remarkable document that was recently featured on the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast.
When
Saturday, April 22 at 10am
Where
Royall House and Slave Quarters is located at 15 George St, Medford, MA 02155
Free on-street parking is available on George Street and other nearby streets; please obey signs regarding resident permit restrictions
Transit
Take the MBTA Bus 96 from Harvard Square or Davis Square (both on the Red Line) to the “George Street and Main Street” stop. The Royall House and Slave Quarters is visible behind Royall Park on George Street.
Take the MBTA Bus 101 from Malden Center or Sullivan Square (both on the Orange Line) to the “George Street and Main Street” stop.