USS Constitution and the Charlestown Navy Yard

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

One cannot discuss the custodianship of the USS Constitution by National Park Service and the United States Navy without first understanding the history of the United States and the history of the Charlestown Navy Yard and its role as the homeport to the USS Constitution and the early history of the United States Navy.  Built in Boston to accommodate 44 cannons and weighing in at 1,576 tons, the USS Constitution, along with the USS President, the USS United States, the USS Chesapeake, the USS Congress, and the USS Constellation, was one of six frigates to be constructed, following authorization by Congress in 1794, in an effort to establish a formal navy for a United States still in its infancy.[1] 

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Designated as the homeport to the USS Constitution on July 23, 1954, the Charlestown Navy Yard, in addition to serving for two centuries as a center of Boston industry, also occupies an important chapter of Boston history as a base for naval activity for the Untied States Navy.[2]  Established in 1800, the Charlestown Navy Yard consists of a ropewalk, machine shops, foundry, barracks, as well as one of the nation’s first granite dry docks built by Loammi Baldwin.  Dry Dock One, built in 1833 would be utilized by a number of ships, including the USS Constitution, in order to complete necessary ship repairs in a more safe and efficient manner.  In addition to interpreting the historical significance of the USS Constitution, the National Park Service strives to interpret the Charlestown Nay Yard as an environment, which shows a clear evolution in the maritime practices of Boston and the United States Navy. [3] Dry Dock One serves as a prime example of this evolution, as prior to the creation of Baldwin’s dry docks, the most common way of repairing a ship involved the practice of careening, or the pulling of the ship to one side so as the expose one half of a ship’s hull at any given time so that it might be repaired.  The National Park Service has stressed the significance of the Charlestown Navy Yard’s dry docks, not only as important relics of the past, but also as an advancement to the task of repairing ships in comparison to the practice of careening, which in addition to being extremely time consuming, also placed a ship at risk of being accidently scuttled, or sunk.[4]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Furthermore, the USS Constitution Museum, opened April 8, 1976 is a unique center for historic interpretation as it not only interpreters the Navy Yard in which it is located but also the oldest commissioned ship in the Untied States Navy, the USS Constitution, through the interdepartmental cooperation of the National Park Service and Naval History and Heritage Command.  The interpretation of the USS Constitution is greatly influenced by the mission of the Park Service to place the ship itself within the proper historic context by creating interactive and technologically oriented exhibits which shed light on the social, economic, and political makeup of the United States, and the exteriors pressures this young republic faced which led to the build up of a formidable naval force.  While a number of these exhibits focus on the USS Constitution’s long military service in the Quasi War with France, the Barbary War in North Africa, and the War of 1812, the museum itself plays host to a number of public oriented activities involving the currently underway restoration of the USS Constitution.  As of late the USS Constitution is in dry dock where the copper fittings, which protect the hull of the ship from wood boring mollusks, are being replaced with fresh rolls of copper similar to the original rolls provided from the copper foundry of Paul Revere during the ship’s construction and launching from 1794 to 1798.  An act of historic preservation, which under the auspices of the United States Navy, has involved the participation of the general public who have been given the opportunity to sign their names to the copper sheeting which is then to be fitted to the hull of the ship.[5]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

            Overall, the USS Constitution and the Charlestown Nay Yard are two vital components to the historical interpretation to not only the maritime history of Boston, but also to the early American naval history, histories that have successfully been made available to the public through museum interpretation and the encouragement of participation from the general public.

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[1] Thomas Charles Gillmer, Old ironsides: The Rise, Decline, and Resurrection of the USS Constitution. (Camden: International Marine, 1993), 6.

[2] National Park Service: U.S. Department of the Interior, “Charlestown Navy Yard,” (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, November 13, 2015).

[3] National Park Service: U.S. Department of the Interior, “Charlestown Navy Yard,” (National Park Brochure. Charlestown, MA, 2015).

[4] National Park Service’s USS Constitution Museum, USS Constitution- The Nation’s Ship. (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, 2015).

[5] Naval History and Heritage Command, Copper Sheathing for USS Constitution. (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, 2015).  

Tea Party Museum

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

John Brewer, Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, stated in his publication Reenactment and Neo-Realism that, “reenactment, it seems to me, is not going to get much beyond a site of modern fantasy and nostalgia (pleasant as this may be), unless it can begin to address the issues of the relationship between historical and poetic truth.”[1]  The romanticizing, of the past is not only a hindrance to the field of Living History and its application as a tool of historic education, it also promotes escapism from reality and a nostalgic interpretation of historic events.  For-profit historic tourism has often served as a bastion from which historically themed vacations and entertainment is marketed to the general public, such historical fetishism exists at The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, located in the heart of Boston.

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, is a historic attraction located on the Congress Street Bridge in the heart of Boston, which promotes a first-person interactive experience revolving around The Boston Tea Party, a historical event of vital importance with regard to the escalation of political and social conflict in eighteenth century Boston which would culminate in the outbreak of the American Revolution.  The Boston Tea Party of December `6, 1773 is one of many examples of political protest which exacerbated British/Colonial relations with the Mother Country. The Boston Tea Party resulted in the destruction of three-hundred and forty-two chests of East India Trading Company Tea in response to the May 1773 Tea Act, which made such cargo liable to a government tax on all tea purchased and distributed in Great Britain’s North American colonies.[2]  In an event which will lead to the dismissal of Massachusetts’s last civilian Royal Governor, Thomas Hutchinson, the establishment of full military rule under British General Thomas Gage, and the closure of Boston Harbor, The Boston Tea Party has often been viewed as a catalyst which would lead to war and eventual independence from Great Britain.  However, this event has also been popularized and commodified by private businesses involved in Boston’s tourist trade, including Historic Tours of America Inc., a for-profit tourist organization, which operators of The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.[3]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

 Lasting one hour and fifteen minutes, the tour offered at The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, beginnings by employing first-person living history interpretation and audience participation in a colonial meetinghouse setting where guests are involved in events leading to the Boston Tea Party.[4]  Rather than approaching the use of living history with caution in an effort to avoid cloaking this historic event in romanticism, The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum revels in the promotion of what Brewer refers to as “poetic truth,” or the use of historical information and events for entertainment purposes.[5] Following the introduction in the meetinghouse, guests are then escorted to one of two replica eighteenth-century ships, intended to serve as a recreation of the storming of Griffin’s Wharf and the boarding of the Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver, the three ships containing East India Trading Company Tea, where guests are then encouraged to imitate the destruction of the ships’ cargo of tea by throwing Styrofoam tea chests over the sides of the ships.[6]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Furthermore, the second half of the tour is dominated by traditional museum exhibits including a display containing the John Robinson Half Chest, an empty tea chest recovered from the Boston Harbor following The Boston Tea Party, and technology-based exhibits including a hologram debate between a Loyalist named Catherine and a Patriot named Sarah.[7]  The tour then ends with a slightly abrupt conclusion involving the viewing a multi-sensory patriotic film entitled “Let It Begin Here,” which depicts the events leading to the Battle of Lexington.[8] 

Overall, while the tour itself was stimulating the dramatic nature of the tour and the theatrical attributes of the entire experience detracted from the accuracy and objectivity of the historical events depicted.  Much as Brewer has scrutinized historic reenactment as a form of fetishism where, “what is important is not the truth of the enactment but its psychological effect.”[9]  The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, while governed by profit making through historic entertainment, has resulted in the dissemination to the public at large of dramatized and oversimplified historical information.

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[1] John Brewer, “Reenactment and Neo-Realism,” in Historical Reenactment, ed. Iain McCalman and Paul A. Pickering (London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), 88.  

[2] Robert J. Allison, The Boston Tea Party (NE Remembers). (Boston: Commonwealth Editions, 2007), 1, 42.

[3] Ibid., ix-x.

[4] Historic Tours of America. “Museum Experience,” Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, http://www.bostonteapartyship.com (accessed November 6, 2015).

[5] Brewer, “Reenactment and Neo-Realism,” 88.

[6] Historic Tours of America. “Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum,” (Guided Tour of the Tourist Attraction, 306 Congress St., Boston, MA, November 6, 2015).

[7] Ibid.

[8] Historic Tours of America. “Museum Experience,” Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, http://www.bostonteapartyship.com (accessed November 6, 2015).

[9] Brewer, “Reenactment and Neo-Realism,” 81.

Captain Jackson's Historic Chocolate Shop and the Printing Office of Edes and Gill

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Located at 21 Unity Street, behind the Old North Church in the heart of the North End of Boston, The Printing Shop of Edes and Gill and Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop, are two living history programs which, while occupying a single historic structure, have taken the principles of living history and historic education in new direction. 

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Clough House, a structure built in 1712 and occupied by Ebenezer Clough, a Master Mason who helped build Old North Church, is a structure that now serves as the site of two living history programs.[1]  While free and opened to the public The Printing Shop of Edes and Gill portrays the art of eighteenth century printing, while Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop hosted an interactive historic exhibit which focuses on eighteenth century foodways with particular emphasis placed on the consumption of chocolate.  Opened under the auspices of the Old North Church, these two living history exhibits occupy the first floor of the Clough House where docents and historical interpreters dressed in eighteenth century attire serve free sample of eighteenth century drinking chocolate.[2]  While guests enjoy these free samples of chocolate, the docent dove into great detail regarding the significance of the chocolate trade to the city of Boston, and the involvement of Captain Newark Jackson and his Amey Jackson, in the Boston Chocolate trade during the eighteenth century.  More importantly the docent made it clear, that from a historic standpoint, the consumption of chocolate has greatly evolved over the centuries, and that chocolate was consumed in the eighteenth century predominately as a beverage often infused with spices and consisted of a much lower sugar content in comparison to modern forms of chocolate.[3]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

After this brief lesson on eighteenth century chocolate, guests are then encouraged to enter the connecting room where they can see a journeyman at work producing historically accurate prints and illustrations.  The Printing Shop of Edes and Gill, opened April 15, 2011, with the objective of not only portraying the craft of eighteenth century printing, but also in hope that this, “colonial print shop can again be a meeting place for visitors and groups where they can gather and hear the stories of regular citizens who came together in 1775 in defense of their rights and who created a nation.”[4] 

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Following the acquisition of The Boston Gazette and Country Journal by Benjamin Edes and John Gill on April 7, 1755, this print shop would come to be very politically active as hostilities between the British Government and the residents of Boston eventually escalated into armed conflict.  This revolutionary legacy and the role The Printing Shop of Edes and Gill played in the formation of this legacy is alive and well as the docents continue to produce copies of the Boston Edition of the Declaration of Independence and Paul Revere’s Boston Massacre Print, and a variety of other publications that circulated Boston during this time of great social and political change.

As stated by historians such as Carl Bidenbaugh, the printing trade was a vital weapon during this time of great political and social upheaval in eighteenth century New England, and printers such as John Gill and Benjamin Edes were patriots of  “clear-thinking and bold captains, who crystallized their discontent, formulated plans, and joined with other groups in precipitating the revolutionary movement.”[5]  As a result, the printer docents not only explained that the documents and illustrations they are currently producing and selling represent the political and social atmosphere that existed in Boston during this time, and that the trade itself was a risky venture and that, “income from subscriptions and commercial advisements was seldom sufficient to sustain a newspaper, [and] public printing supplied the margin between success and failure.”[6]  

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Furthermore, The Printing Shop of Edes and Gill and Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop within the Clough House are two hidden treasures within the North End which are not only keeping history alive but are shedding light on two important aspects or eighteenth century history, the consumption of food, and the consumption of information.  From an educational standpoint this approach to history is not only stimulating from an a sensory standpoint, but also as breathes light into the historiography itself.        

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[1] The Printing Office of Edes and Gill, “About,” Lessons On Liberty, http://bostongazette.org/about/ (accessed October 29, 2015).

[2] Old North Church. “The Printing Office of Edes and Gill/ Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop” (Guided Tour of the Historic Site, North End Boston, MA, October 29, 2015).

[3] From The Hearth and Home of Newark Jackson, “For All Your Chocolate and Colonial Musing,” Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop, https://mrsnewarkjackson.wordpress.com (accessed October 29, 2015).

[4] The Printing Office of Edes and Gill, http://bostongazette.org/about/ (accessed October 29, 2015).

[5] Richard L. Merritt, “Public Opinion in Colonial America: Content-Analyzing the Colonial Press.” The Public Opinion Quarterly vol. 27, no. 3 (Autumn 1963), http://www.jstor.org/stable/2747114 (accessed September 12, 2015), 361.

[6] O.M. Dickerson, “British Control of American Newspapers on the Ever of the Revolution.” The New England Quarterly vol. 24, no. 4 (December 1951), http://www.jstor.org/stable/361338 (accessed September 13, 2015), 453. 

The House of a Renaissance Man: Paul Revere

While house museums can only be judged individually regarding the historical significance of the property being preserved, and the educational components of the house museum in question, Paul Revere’s House in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts’s North End is a house museum, which although quite small, has captured the fascination of an endless influx of museums guests. As stated in the mission statement of The Paul Revere Memorial Association, the mission of this organization is to, “share the legacy of Paul Revere, his life, home, and neighborhood by preserving two of Boston’s oldest homes [the Paul Revere House and the Pierce/Hichborn House] and by providing a local, national, and international audience with remarkable educational experiences.”[1]  While the 17^th and 18^th history of Boston’s North End is long as it is rich, the Paul Revere’s House and the adjacent Pierce/Hichborn House, are of vital significance regarding their relationship to Paul Revere, but also are of great value as examples of 17^th and 18^th century architecture which annually attracts a quarter of a million visitors.

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Built in 1680 as the dwelling of Robert Howard, a prominent Bostonian merchant, this two-story/three room structure located at 19 North Square in Boston’s North End would evolve in its first ninety years of existence.  From an upper class urban dwelling representative of late 17^th century style and culture, this structure would be changed and altered to met the needs of owners and tenants, and once purchased by Paul Revere in 1770 the home would have a more humble working-class appearance as Revere pursued his trade as both a metalworker and dentist.  From an interpretational standpoint, the Paul Revere Memorial Association has taken great care to provide exhibits representational of the building as a 17^th and 18^th century dwelling.  Consisting of the Kitchen, Dining Room, and Best Room, the house itself is organized into a self-guided tour divided into a multidimensional tour in which each room is its own exhibit consisting of labels artifacts from the Association’s collection of nearly 2,500 items.[2]  Museums guest enter through the kitchen, through which the guests then pass through the dining room that represents the 17th century foodways and luxuries which the building’s original owner, Robert Howard would have been accustom to.  While the remaining room, the “Best Room,” presents average wares set in an 18^th century living space which represents Revere’s humble upbringing as well as his aspirations as a metalworker catering to both a lower class and upper class clienteles.  There is also a second building, the Pierce/Hichborn House, owned by Moses Pierce and built in 1711 and eventually Revere’s first cousins Nathaniel Hichborn.   This building further compliments the Paul Revere House as it is a prime example of 18^th century Georgian architectural style consisting of a lower hipped roof, shallow arches over the windows and doors.[3]

Today, the Paul Revere Memorial Association is under a state of reorganization and development as the Association has embarked on a series of renovations in an effort to accommodate a growing number of guests to the museum, while also realizing the goal to make the second floor of Paul Revere’s House “wheelchair accessible,” which it currently is not.[4]  As part of the Association’s $4,000,000 Revere Call to Action Capital Campaign, the House Museum is currently under a state of construction as the Association is overseeing the creation of a Visitor and Education Center which the Association concludes that when finished, will increase “our dedicated program space by almost 400%.”[5]  It is clear that this addition will solve a problem often faced by any house museums similar to the Paul Revere House, in solving the logistic of accommodating the visitation of thousands of annual visitors to this building, which was constructed strictly for use as a private dwelling. 

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

However, it is clear the use and significance of this building complex has since evolved following the purchase of the structure in 1907 by Paul revere’s great-grandson, John P. Reynolds, Jr.  Following its opening to the public in 1908, and its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1985, The Paul Revere House has continued to evolve not just as a building which was the dwelling of a significance historical figure such as Paul Revere, but also as a symbol of a multi-dimensional history which continues to evolve as it caters to the public at larger in the name of historic education.[6]  

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[1] The Paul Revere Memorial Association.  National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant. (Boston: North End), .

[2] Ibid.

[3] The Paul Revere Memorial Association. “The Paul Revere House” (Tour of the Historic Site, Boston: North End, MA, October 19, 2015).

[4] The Paul Revere Memorial Association.  Historic Preservation Grant. (Boston: North End, February 1, 2010), #.

[5] The Paul Revere Memorial Association, NEH Challenge Grant, 4.

[6] The Paul Revere Memorial Association. “The Paul Revere House” (Brochure of the Historic Site, Boston: North End, MA, October 19, 2015).

Fort Independence: Untapped Potential

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

The city of Boston attracts thousands of tourists annually who desire a better understanding of the history of this port city’s complex history as a site of great maritime and military significance, historical aspects of Boston which are alive and well on Castle Island.  Located on Pleasure Bay deep in the heart of South Boston, Castle Island is currently the site of Fort Independence, one of eight forts that have been erected on this location, which protected the southern point of access into the city of Boston during the formation of the city in 16930 as well as during the Revolutionary Ware, the Civil War, and both World Wars.  As far back as 1634 the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony recognized the strategic significance of Castle Island as location of vital significance to the protection of Boston when Governor Thomas Dudley selected the location for the establishment of an earthwork fortification consisting of two platforms with three cannons.  After the establishment of Castle William, a four-bastioned brick fort supporting an arsenal of seventy-two cannons in 1703, Castle William would serve as a stronghold during the military occupation by the British Army during the early stages of the American Revolution until the retaking of the city, and the remains of Castle William by Continental forces following British evacuation of Boston March 17, 1776.  Furthermore, the fort itself would continue to serve a purpose to the city of Boston by serving as training base for new recruits, as a well as a demagnetizing station during World War Two where ships howls could be tested regarding their vulnerability to German torpedo attacks.[1]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagl

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Placed on the Register of National Historic Places October 15, 2015, Castle Island is currently under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation who rely heavily on the efforts of volunteers to lead tours and host interpretative discussion relating to the history of Castle Islands and the subsequent forts which have existed at this location.[2] Fort Independence the current fort located on Castle Island’s Pleasure Bay is a five-bastion structure, consisting of original portions erected by Colonel John Foncin from 1801- 1803, which then reconstructed in 1851 by Colonel Sylanus Thayer, would doubled the height of the fortifications, and expanded the fort’s perimeter.[3]

While Fort Independence draws one million visitors annually to the island, as a result of a laissez-faire approach to the management of this historic property on the part of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the fort is currently facing troubles and limitations regarding the interpretation of the fort’s history and it’s position as a 
major tourist attraction in the city of Boston.[4]  Having recently visited the fort and taken a free volunteer-led tour of the grounds I was saddened and dismayed by the poor quality of the tour, as well as the lack of freedom to explore the fort on one’s own, and an overall lack of time given by the tour guides in allowing the visitors to view and study the plaques and exhibits located throughout the fort.  The tour itself, would first begin at the main entrance of the fort, or sallyport, where the group was then led to Commandant’s office location near the Hancock Bastions, once inside the guide, while soften spoken, would go into lengthy detail regarding the fort’s lengthy history, particularly the cistern system of fort which served as the soldiers water supply.[5]   However, as the guide discussed the chronology of the fort there was very little reference on the part of the tour guide to any of the plaques, exhibits and historical information in the rooms the tour groups were being brought through.  Upon closer examination many of the exhibits focused on the relevance of the Rodman-barreled cannons, which were tested and then installed as Fort Independence’s main artillery battery beginning in 1851.  In addition, there were many models of various ships including the USS Constitution, and the Flying Cloud, relating to a very important aspect of Castle Island’s maritime history and the relationship of this history with the city itself, a relationship that was sparsely refereed to during the entire tour.[6] 

Upon further inquiry it was make clear that Fort Independence, in addition to not allowing guests to explore the fort freely and outside of the confines of a tour, also does not allow reenactments or other living history related events to take places on the property as well.  While the guide provided no indication as to why this is the case, further inquiry indicated that the fort was once host to a variety of Revolutionary War reenactments, including an event called Loyalist Day in which Fort Independence hosted 18^th century encampments, and interactive programs relating to the history of Boston’s Loyalist and Tory community who resided in the city of Boston during the America Revolution.  However, while records indicate that the last Loyalist Day was hosted June 19, 2004 and there is no indication as to why Fort Independence no longer host reenactment events and whether no not they plan to in the future. [7]

Overall, it is clear that while Fort Independence is a site of invaluable significance to the military, and maritime history of Boston, there is a great deal of untapped potential regarding the current interpretation of the site, the prioritization of information provided on the tours, and the relationship of Fort Independence to other historic organizations particularly living history organizations.

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[1] Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Brochure. “Castle Island and its Forts.” Castle Island: Fort Independence, (Historic Site Brochure, South Boston, MA, October 12, 2015).

[2] Ibid., “Recent History.”

[3] Ibid., “The Forts in Wars.”

[4] Greg Sukiennik, "Castle Island, Boston's historical hideaway." Record: Bergen County, NJ. General OneFile. August 11, 2002.

[5] Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. “Fort Independence” (Guided Tour of the Historic Site, South Boston, MA, October 12, 2015).

[6] Ibid.

[7] "ADVISORY/Loyalist Day at Fort Independence, Castle Island - South Boston; Introducing Boston's Tory Trail; Free Admission." Business Wire, General OneFile  June 4, 2004.

The Royall House and Slave Quarters: A Physical Juxtaposition of New England Race and Economic Issues

While house museums, often serve as centers of education, and as a way from which a community can safeguard architectural relics of a bygone era, house museums also serve as a physical representation of a community’s past, and as a symbol for what that past once was.  Such historic symbols can often be a source of pride in one’s heritage and cultural, these symbols can also represent a time from which the social and cultural makeup were quite different from that of the modern era. The Royall House and Slave Quarters, located by the Mystic River in Medford, Massachusetts, is a historical house museum that represents two parallel cultures that existed in eighteenth-century Massachusetts, a history represented by two structures which comprise this multi-structured house museum. 

The first of these two structures is the Georgian-style mansion of the Royall family, a prominent family of merchants involved in the rum and sugar trade.  While the second structure located immediately next to this elegant mansion, is the Slave Quarters, reserved for the slaves owned by the Royall family, and is a structure which also represented an entirely different chapter of eighteenth-century New England history from that of its neighboring structure. 

Royall House (left), Slave Quarters (right). Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

It is due to the close proximity of these two structures, both of which represent two different classes of people who occupied different socio-economic and racial classes, that has compelled the citizens of Medford to preserve them for educational and historical purposes.  A mission which led to the formation of The Royall House Association, who in addition to serving as the stewards of these structures, have constructed a mission statement in which they assert their objective to explore, “the meanings of freedom and Independence before, during and since the American Revolution, in the context of a wealthy Loyalists and enslaved Africans.”[1]

Obtained by the Bradlee Fulton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, The Royall House and Slave Quarters consists of the “Great House,” a portions originally constructed in 1637 by Governor John Winthrop following the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this mansion would be acquired by Isaac Royall Sr. in 1732, who would continue the renovations after formally moving in 1737 until his death in 1739.[2]  Isaac Royall Sr. at the age of 28 established his first sugar plantation on the Caribbean island of Antigua, from which he became a prominent merchant in not just the sugar trade, but also in the lucrative production of rum which utilizes the molasses byproduct from sugar production, as well as the African slave trade of which the sugar and rum industries relied heavily on for a labor source.[3] 

Royall House. Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

While the Royall House represents the affluence and success of Isaac Royal Sr. as a successful merchant, the Slave Quarters, a multipurpose building located directly next to the Royall mansion, the Slave Quarters, adds value to this house museum not just as one of only a handful of examples of slave structures in the New England area, but also as a visual representation of the different life styles, foodways, leisure activities and physical spaces that were occupied by slaves and their masters.  Built initially in 1732, the Slave Quarters proved to be a structure of vital importance as it would serve as the housing for nearly twenty-seven African slave brought to Massachusetts by Isaac Royall Sr. and his son Isaac Royall Jr., following a hasty exit by the Royall family from the island of Antigua due to an attempted slave uprising on the island, which resulted in the execution of the Royall family’s slave overseer Hector, for his involvement in the failed uprising.[4] 

Slave Quarters. Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

In addition to placing these two building in the proper historical context, the Royall House Association through the use of lectures and the use of archaeological artifacts are attempting to emphasize the invaluable significance of the property as an archaeological site.   As the result of findings obtained during archaeological digs conducted at the site from 1999 to 2001, the archaeological context of the site has assisted in the understanding of slave-master relations in eighteenth century New England. An exhibits of great interest have also been produced as the result of artifacts collected near the Slave Quarters, resulting in a diverse collection of ceramic shards and items discarded by members of the Royall family, which were then often appropriated by their slaves and converted into game pieces and jewelry.[5] 

Overall, this house museum sheds light on a specific niche of New England history, which is of vital importance with regard to the racial and economic issues which permeated eighteenth century New England. The Royall House and Slave quarters serve as a invaluable asset, serving as an example of a New England household which, “had six more slaves than any other household in the town [Medford]- twelve in all in 1754.”[6]   A unique circumstance from which historian Alexandra A. Chan concluded that the Royall House and Slave Quarter, in the case of New England slavery, serves as a litmus test from which she concluded that, “it was more likely that a Massachusetts slave would skilled in trades of the evolving marketplace than a Deep South slave would.”[7]

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[1] The Royall House and Slave Quarters, “About Us: Mission.” The Royall House Association, http://www.royallhouse.org/ (accessed October 6, 2015).

[2]  The Royall House and Slave Quarters, “The Isaac Royall House,” signs for self-guided tour of grounds, Medford Historical Society, 1991.

[3] The Royall House and Slave Quarters, “Learn: The Royalls.” The Royall House Association, http://www.royallhouse.org/ (accessed October 6, 2015).

[4]Janet Halley, “My Isaac Royall Legacy.” 24 Harvard. BlackLetter Law Journal. (2008): 117-131, http://heinonline.org (accessed October 6, 2015), 120.

[5] The Royall House and Slave Quarters, “The Property/The Royalls.” The Royall House Association, http://www.royallhouse.org/ (accessed October 6, 2015).

[6] Halley, “My Isaac Royall Legacy,” 119.

[7] Ibid., 123.