The First Church in Roxbury is a Boston landmark and is the oldest surviving wood-frame church in Boston. Built in 1832, it is the fifth building on the site. The original Meetinghouse was featured prominently during the Revolutionary War–serving as a military depot and signal station during the Siege of Boston, and as the first stop on William Dawes’ historic ride to Lexington on April 18, 1775.
There are two parts to the legacy of the First Church in Roxbury: the well-known information to be found online, and the lesser-known history that the UUUM continues to investigate. That history includes the African and Indigenous people who were enslaved by white parishioners and who continued to be members after the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783, even while still being seated in the rafters or “Negro pews” of the Church.
The tour also covers the history of the 4th building on the site, preserved graffiti from the 1800s, the recent restoration of the current building, its role as the home of the UU Urban Ministry since 1976, and its current mission of Revolutionary Thinking today, in this our 200th anniversary.
Tour led by Thomas Plant, Historian
Rating: Easy, walking tour stays inside building and close surrounding area
