From Africa to Medford: The Untold Story

Sailing Ship

Few people today are aware of the extent to which slavery and the slave trade permeated New England, even in our own back yard. Students and faculty from Tufts University and Medford High School have worked with Medford's Royall House Association to create an exhibit presented at the Medford Historical Society on the slave trade, the lives of both slaves and free Blacks in New England, and the untold story of the 27 slaves owned by Medford's Royall family in the 18 century. These pages use material from the exhibit to highlight the contributions made by these forgotten residents.

 
Slave Fort

Africa and the Slave Trade

While many African rulers accumulated wealth and power from the slave trade, life for thousands of ordinary Africans was often severely dislocated. Africa and the Slave Trade.

The Middle Passage

The middle passage was a time of extended suffering for many slaves. The Middle Passage.

Antigua

On the sugar plantations of Antigua in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Antigua planters paid little attention to preserving the lives and health of their slaves as long as it was possible to obtain new slaves from Africa. The Antigua Connection

 Reenactors

Timothy Fitch

Timothy Fitch was a Medford slave trader and merchant. Fitch's captains sailed from Boston to West Africa, carrying Medford rum and other goods to exchange for slaves. Timothy Fitch

Slavery in Medford

The Slave Census of 1754 notes that "there were in Medford 27 male and 7 female slaves and 15 Free Blacks" Slavery in Medford

New England Slavery

The relatively low number of people living in slavery in New England colonies was not due to antislavery sentiments. Rather, economic, social, and geographic conditions resulted in a distinctly New England pattern of slavery.

New England Slavery

 Prince Hall Mural Detail

The Mark of Belinda Royall

Belinda, a slave in the Royall House, wrote a petition in 1783 requesting an income from the estate of her former owner, Isaac Royall. Belinda Royall

Slave Contributions

Our image of a "slave" may be of someone who had only physical strength. But historians have noted that a wide range of skilled labor roles were filled by northern slaves. Slave Contributions

Prince Hall : The Legacy

The creation of the first African Masonic Lodge came about due to the unrelenting efforts of Medford resident Prince Hall and fourteen others who took the "initial steps to form America's first Black institution". Prince Hall.

This exhibit was created by the following students from Tufts University and Medford High School, under the supervision of Jay B. Griffin and Rosalind Shaw:

  • Kelechi Ajunwa
  • Ali Cohn
  • Deborah Durant
  • Ashley Griffin
  • Michelle La Guerre
  • Molly Hobey
  • Alwin Jones
  • Shani Jordan-Goldman
  • Moira Murphy-Cairns
  • Lara Saipe
  • Melanie Spencer
  • Nebulla Stephen
  • Oluremi Swen
  • Ashley Umbro

We would like to thank the following people for their valuable contributions to this exhibit:

  • Mr. and Mrs. Norman Bailey
  • Pamela Bush
  • Mr. and Mrs. William Caines
  • Joseph Galeota
  • Pamela Goncalves
  • Rev. Florence King
  • Wallace Kountze
  • David Locke
  • Carol Rickenbacker
  • Cathy Stanton
  • Daniel Torvinyo
  • Lynette Tsiang
  • William N. Twombly

Funded by:

  • Tufts University AS&E Diversity Fund
  • Tufts University College of Citizenship and Public Service
  • Tufts University Office of the Provost
  • Medford Cultural Council
  • Royall House Association

The Massachusetts Cultural Council selected "From Africa to Medford" as a 2002 Gold Star Project.

Mass Cultural Council