European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                La re Black heritage Trail Bostons other Freedom walk by de Reavis staff writer Boston is one of the few cities in the United states with two Freedom the older and better known with its path leading to the historic is Well known from history books on the american Rev the other Freedom Trail has to do with Black american history and is no less important in the development of american dubbed the Black heritage it is a walking tour through the history of Bostons 19th Century Black it consists of a marked route to 14 historic buildings and the Trail is administered jointly by the Boston african american National historic site and the nation Al Park it is the result of a cooperative agreement Between the National Park service and the bos to based museum of afro Ameri can history run by state Byron site chief Dorothea Powell explained that most of the Sites Are today either houses or All of the houses Are located in bos tons High rent Beacon Hill near the Golden domed we try to reach an agreement with the present owners of these historic buildings to allow at no Cost to to renovate the buildings facade and install a plaque indicating the buildings historic signify were not always but on the other hand its surprising How Many owners take a genuine interest and Pride in their Possession after they find out about its previous John and Mary Gier Are a Case in they jumped at the Opportunity to buy the House at 66 Phillips Street where they previously lived As last the Giers agreed to allow the Black heritage Trail organization to renovate the facade of their House and install a it was basically an act of self Gier we would have been evicted if someone else had bought the later when we found out it was the Lewis and Harriet Hayden my wife started doing some thorough research about were genuinely proud of the Lewis Hayden was born a slave in in after escaping by underground Railroad to de he moved to Boston with his wife Harriet and soon became one of the cites most vocal the built in was purchased by the Radical abolitionist committee of to ensure that Hayden  be harassed in his underground it became a Sanctuary for a station in the underground the House was sold to Harriet Hayden in it was Here that Harriet Beecher Stowe is said to have met groups of fugitive slaves for the first John Brown is also said to visited the among the lesser known persons passing through the Hayden House were William and Ellen a couple who escaped the South by masquerading As master and photo by de Reavis Dorothea site chief at the Boston Black heritage the Haydens reputedly kept two kegs of Gunpowder in their saying they would rather blow up the House than surrender the slaves they were during the civil Hayden served As a Recruiter for the All Black 54th his own son died serving in the after the he was elected to the state legis the crowning piece in the collection of afro american historic Sites is the Large african meeting now under extensive were really overjoyed with this Powell the Reagan administration gave us million to buy the african meeting House is the oldest Black Church still standing in the the meeting House was founded by Blacks because of the discriminatory practices of the White churches of led by reverend Thomas Paul from new Hamp some 20 Black congregation members formed the first african Baptist Church on the next year they built what became known As the african meeting the seats on the floor were reserved for All those benevolently disposed to the and the Black members sat in the gallery of their in addition to its religious and educational the african meeting House was a place for celebrations and antislavery William Lloyd Garrison founded the new England antislavery society there on in the building was referred to As the abolition Church and the Black Faneuil Powell said that at the end of the 19th Century the building was sold to a jewish congregation As Blacks moved to the South end and Rox Bury sections of it remained a synagogue until it was purchased by the museum of afr american other Sites on the Black heritage Trail include the Smith court including the former dwelling of William americas first published Black historian who struggled to integrate Boston schools during the civil the Abiel Smith donated by a White businessman for the education of Black it thrived until 1855 when school segregation was ended in in it became Headquarters for the organization of Black civil War vet the George Middleton built in the oldest extant Home built by a Black on Beacon Middleton was a Veteran of the american a colonel who led an Allback army unit called the Bucks of John in front of Middleton presented the unit with a silk Flag Bear ing Hancocks and Middleton Ini the figures of a Buck and a Pine and the the Bucks of the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th memorial on Boston common commemorating the Brav Ery of an Allback unit led by the White officer Robert Gould the regiment distinguished itself during the civil War at fort Wagner in july its members also refused pay for two full years because their salaries did not equal those of White frontline soldiers a but Only those of com Mon labourers a in the Congress relented and granted the pay increase the Phillips one of the first Boston schools with an integrated student the John Smith born free in Vir settled in Boston where his House became a Center of abolitionist Radical abolitionist Charles Sumner was a frequent during the civil Smith worked As a Recruiter for the Allback 5th after the Smith was elected to the Massachusetts House of the Charles Street meeting a Baptist Church with segregated the turmoil created Here when this practice was questioned led to the founding of the first Baptist free which became Tremont the first integrated Church in co Burns gaming a High class gambling Ca sino in the Middle John Coburn accumulated a Small Fortune in Cash and real estate Over the years which he left to his adopted june the stars and stripes Page 17