African Meeting House, Boston

Copp's Hill Burying Ground is the second oldest burying ground in the city, founded in 1659. The small cemetery has thousands of graves, including a few of notable local citizens such as Increase Mather and Cotton Mather of Salem Witch Trial infamy and Robert Newman, who placed the lanterns in the Old North Church for Paul Revere's midnight ride.

From the burying ground, one of the most visible landmarks is the steeple of Old North Church, just a stone's throw away.

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Of all the historic cemeteries in Boston, my favorite is Copp's Hill Burying Ground. I think it's the most atmospheric one, located of a foggy, windswept hillside overlooking Boston Harbor. You won't find anyone famous here. If you're looking for Paul Revere or John Hancock, go the Granary Burial Ground near Boston Common. At Copp's Hill you'll find the more common people of Boston, and looking over the grave stones will tell you a lot about their lives.

The African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill, both built in the early 1800's, are two of the Museum of Afro-American History's most valuable assets. Located in what once was the heart of Boston's 19th-century African American community, these buildings remain a showcase of black community organization and enduring testimony to black craftsmanship.

Once a church, a school, a vital community meeting place, the African Meeting House is open to the public. The Abiel Smith School, the nation's first public school for African American children, currently houses a first-class exhibit space and the museum store.

Winding its way through the north slope of Beacon Hill, the African-American Heritage Trail provides a different perspective on Boston's history. The trail focuses on th African-American community that lived in this part of Boston just following the Revolutionary War, where they were quite prosperous and from which many of the first abolitionist societies grew. The central point of the trail is the African Meeting House where a museum is now located. Unfortunately this intresting and engaging walk doesn't receive nearly as much attention as the oft-walked Freedom Trail, so I encourage you to check it out.