Boston Seaman's Aid Society

The Seaman’s Aid Society of the City of Boston was a women's aid charity founded in Boston in 1833 with the goal of improving the condition and character of seamen and their families. The first president of the society was famed author, poet, and editor Sarah Josepha Hale. Affiliated with the Boston Port Society, the women of the Seaman's Aid Society operated a clothing store; the Mariners House, a boarding house for seamen; and a free school for mariners' daughters in Boston's North Square. In 1867, the society merged with the Boston Port Society to form the Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society.