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January 2024 by Kyle Broadnax
I had NO clue about the deep, culturally rich history in the state let alone Boston. Just goes to show, there is so much our public history books do not teach.
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October 2023 by Qwerty
This is a nice museum. I went here and was satisfied with my experience. This museum commemorates the history of the black community in Boston during the antebellum period. This community consisted of freed slaves and their descendants, and it centered around Beacon Hill, hence the location of the museum. This museum is made up of two separate buildings. The main building is a small three story building with exhibits about the history of the community and exhibits about Boston’s thriving jazz scene in the first half of the twentieth century, which was quite interesting to learn about because I did not know that Boston was the center of such a thing. The second building at this museum is a church and meeting house that can only be visited in tours that leave at regular intervals from the main museum building. The first floor of the housing is a small meetinghouse, and the second floor is a church where various notable orators and abolitionists delivered speeches, which is pretty cool. This museum is Boston African American National Historical Park, but it’s run by a separate organization, so National park passes don’t work here, meaning everyone has to pay the $15 entrance fee. I gave this museum five stars because it has informative exhibits.
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August 2023 by DaFran Ware
I love history so I like this kind of thing. I was unaware of African American history in Boston. So I learned somethings.It's a nice up hill and down hill walk to it. Very interesting houses to look at along the way.It wasn't a large crowd. They run tours at specific times so you shoyld check their website.
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February 2023 by Food E.
This a small museum housed in two historic buildings. Admission is for a one hour tour which gives you half an hour to explore some artifacts and small exhibits in the Abiel Smith School followed by a talk by a very knowledgeable guide named Tobias who has been working there for over a decade. He's a great guide. Next you watch a short video in the African Meeting house; the video seems a bit dated, of course history doesn't change, but the video could use an upgrade. Last, Tobias walks you through the African Meeting House and provides more gems of information. This is well worth the $10 admission for its rich history.
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February 2023 by Craig Prater
Beautifully preserved. A nice, quick stop along the Black Heritage Trail. The actual meeting house…aka church, was the first Black church in America. The museum exhibits change from month to month. A National Park Service ranger is your guide, and they do an hour-long tour during the week for $10. They’ll talk about abolitionism & the underground railroad, and free blacks in early years Boston. Not bad for the price, and not overrun with tourists either. It’s something you could do on a long flight layover, and still see the rest of Boston.
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October 2022 by VB
This was both haunting and beautiful. To know how strong our people had to be to endure what they were made to enduring. But to contrast that with the beauty of what our people created. It was sad that they did not incorporate any of this information in the other Freedom Trail tours. But we took the African-American Freedom tour and were enlightened by wonderful tour guides that were caring and compassionate. A must do when in Boston.Black Lives Matter! ??
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October 2022 by Lauren
Quaint museum with significant historical importance. Tour guide Tobias uses his honed storytelling abilities to give informative explanations of the museum exhibits and set the scene of the African Meeting House during the second half of the tour, along with a visual aid. Museum is definitely worth the visit and I picked up a couple of cute masks with the museum's logo for myself and a friend while I was there. Book tickets in advance on their website for smooth entry.
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October 2022 by Colin Walker
This is a must visit if you have any interest in history and you are in Boston. Very inexpensive and absolutely worth every penny and every minute we spent there. Booking is done online and tours start on schedule so there is almost no waiting. The tour is split into 2 sections, a guided tour with an extremely knowledgeable guide, and an unguided section where you can review artifacts on your own.
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September 2022 by Patricia Patrick
We visited this Black centric establishment on Saturday, July 30, 2022. I booked a reservation prior to online on the establishment’s website. The time that I booked was for 2 PM that day, but we decided to go at noon instead. We were at the Boston location, but there’s also a location in Nantucket. This is a very historic complex of buildings because it includes the Abiel Smith School, The African Meeting House, and The William Nell House across the street. William Nell is a notable Boston figure, since he played a pivotal role in desegregating Boston Public Schools. Upon arrival we were greeted by the museum’s director and coordinator, who was very upbeat and welcoming. He stated we will be allowed 30 minutes to tour the Abiel Smith School exhibits. We started on the first floor of the Abiel Smith School and were able to view exhibits pertaining to the history of black heritage, culture, and struggle in Boston. The first floor of the school did have a small bookstore and gift shop, which showcases books and jewelry for sale. There were restrooms available on the first floor of this school and we also were able to go upstairs to view more exhibits. The first floor also had information about the Abiel Smith School, African Meeting House, and The Black Heritage Trail. Once we went upstairs, we were able to view information with portraits of extremely notable figures to the black community and to the Boston community. This included Louis Hayden, Frederick Douglass, Robert Shaw, Alan Krei, Sutton Smith, and also William Lloyd Garrison. There was an amazing collection showcasing The Liberator propaganda, blueprints for slave ships, and also portraits of the 54th regiment men. There was beautiful artwork on the walls from black artists depicting African American life during the time period, which were beautiful and colorful. At 12:30 PM we followed the museum director next door to the African Meeting House. He gave us an informative short talk on the purpose and history of the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School. He explained the pivotal role the African Meeting House played in uniting, strengthening, advising, and teaching the Black community in Boston. This building became a beacon of hope and example for other communities in America before, during, and after the Civil War. We watched the short film called Building on A Firm Foundation, which showcases a young black girl in Boston transport herself back in time and describe what life was like in 1800s Boston for black people. She described it as a perilous time where blacks were in constant fear of being captured by slave catchers, facing the racism of the federal government, and the local government of Boston. The truth that she spoke was discussed and transcended the unity of the Boston black community as pivotal. This ensured they kept each other strong, inspired, and resistant against the evils of systemic racism. The history of Boston’s black community is a history of every black community in America, which oppresses its people that continue to persevere. After we watched the film, we were able to go up to the sanctuary and view the meeting place where blacks were taught, and the floor was given to influential speakers. This included Frederick Douglass and another woman that spoke about the importance of women’s rights, civil rights, and the ending of slavery. This is also where William Lloyd Garrison formed the Abolitionist League which he spearheaded in the fight behind attempting to abolish slavery. I felt that a lot of the artifacts were preserved very well in both buildings. I also felt that the museum does take pride in showcasing these artifacts to the public and those that want to learn about black history. This is a great space to receive your own knowledge and edification. I do recommend that everyone visit the African American Museum in Boston and partake in a tour by the museum director. Everyone should learn more about the strong legacy and heritage of the black person in Boston, since black history is American history.
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September 2022 by Ricardo
Short but sweet. The museum itself is very small with three floor but it is filled with decent amount of information. I believe the first and second floor are permanent exhibits that centers on the museum and African Americans and allies who fought against slavery. The third floor I think are the temporary exhibits. When I went it was about famous jazz establishments in the Boston area. Once you are finished with the museum, you are escorted into the African Meeting House and you watch a video discussing about the history of African Americans in Boston. Then you get to see the church where famous African Americans gave speeches. I enjoyed the whole experience. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and I learned a lot. I would recommend others check it out. On a side note I do wish they had water fountains and actual store so I can buy memorabilia and still support the museum. Also you have buy tickets at least the day before.
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June 2022 by Jared Davis
The irony of not being admitted to the museum in Juneteenth! They still have (now outdated) Covid protocols, so you have to schedule long ahead to be admitted timed entry.The side door to the meeting house is still open, so I was able to secretly go sit quietly in the pews, hoping nobody would notice, maybe much like some of my ancestors might have during the days of slavery.
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June 2022 by Rachel S
This is a really important place and topic, but here are the reasons for 3 stars instead of 5 (for context, I am a museum professional myself)1. Accessibility and Inclusion: there is a lift to get up and down the stairs outside and there is an elevator in the building BUT you'd need staff help with both, which isn't really inclusive. (The sign for the elevator tells you to have a staff member help you operate the elevator but if you're on the third floor, how are you supposed to find help?)When I asked about other accessibility and Inclusion features, the gentleman staff member didn't know what I meant which is already a problem. Then when I explained when they have for visitors who might e Deaf/hard of hearing or Blind/visually impaired or someone with a developmental disability, he was stumped and said "we don't have anything really....we hope visitors who are blind or deaf come with someone who can read everything for them"....NOT ACCEPTABLEThey literally have nothing, no brails guides, no audio guides.And no, money is not an excuse. There are ways to create these resources through grants or minimal monetary obligation.2. Exhibits: the exhibits are clearly older and very tired. Some of them have too much text on them and the font is slightly small.There are no interpretive prompts or signage that would help people think critically about what they are reading or help children decipher what is being conveyed.There's a lot of information that is hard to keep track of.Also, there is literally no interpretive aspect to the exhibits. Nothing you can touch or interact with. Again that is just laziness, not money. They could have made exhibits more interactive with minimal money needed.The tour was boring and not interactive at all after we watched a very dated movie on uncomfortable benches.Again, the buildings are beautiful and this is an incredibly important topic and place of History but even the $10 ticket was not really worth visiting. All of it felt like an afterthought which is very unfortunate.
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April 2022 by Kristinne Lapsa
I love how we get to be inside of a building that was actually in the 1800-1900s, it's like being able to be in the past in person. The experience of being in the museum of African American heritage was exciting and interesting, I love the glass artwork and diagrams. I want to shout out to the employees who had given a tour, it was fascinating and they did such a great job of explaining it.
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February 2022 by Chris C.
Really didn't know what to expect going to visit this museum but I am so glad that I did. There is so much history here that I wasn't aware of and the huge role this place played in the fight to end slavery. The history here is so rich and I left wanting to know more about the people who built this community and called it home. The most amazing and chilling things that I was able to observe in the museum was the photos of the African American soldiers and seeing that the photos a real photographs. As well as the hand written letters along with the letter of purchase of a slave. It really brought to life what I've learned and heard and read about slavery. Going to the meeting house was another breath taking experience. Standing in the meeting house where Frederick Douglas stood and sitting in the pew where he sat was a humbling and powerful experience. Do yourself a favor and visit this museum. You have no reason not to because it's free. There is a parking lot where the Whole Foods is which is a sort three minute walk to the museum.
