The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating women such as Abigail Adams, Amelia Earhart, and Phillis Wheatley. The guidebook includes seven walks and introduces more than 200 Boston women.
The BWHT was created in 1989 by a group of Boston schoolteachers, librarians, and students. It is funded by the non-profit Boston Educational Development Foundation. The BWHT presents teacher workshops, guided walks, and other activities to promote women's history.
The list of BWHT walking tours currently includes tours of the Back Bay (East), Back Bay (West), Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown/South Cove, Dorchester, Downtown, Jamaica Plain, Lower Roxbury, Roxbury, the South End, and West Roxbury. It also includes the Artists Walk, which focuses on local women artists, and the Ladies Walk, which commemorates Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley.
The Artists walk centers on the Back Bay, where many women artists have lived, worked, and exhibited. The walk was designed to complement the 2001 Museum of Fine Arts exhibition, A Studio of Her Own: Women Artists in Boston 1870–1940. Women mentioned include Helen M. Knowlton, Anne Whitney, and others.
The Back Bay East walk begins and ends at the Public Garden. Women mentioned include:
Emily Greene Balch, economist, sociologist and pacifist; winner of the Nobel Peace PrizeAmy Beach, composerIsabella Stewart Gardner, art collector and founder of the Gardner MuseumCatherine Hammond Gibson, original owner of the Gibson House MuseumHarriet Hemenway and Minna Hall, founders of the Massachusetts Audubon SocietyJulia Ward Howe, abolitionist, activist, and author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"Elma Lewis, arts educator and founder of the National Center of Afro-American ArtistsFlorence Luscomb, architect and women's suffragistBelle P. Rand, founder of the French Library and Cultural CenterSarah Choate Sears, art patron and artistAnne Sexton, Pulitzer-winning poetSculptors Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson, Anna Coleman Ladd, Mary Moore, Bashka Paeff, Lilian Swann Saarinen, Nancy Schön, Katharine Lane Weems, and Anne WhitneyAlso mentioned are Fisher College, Simmons College, and the Winsor School.
This walk starts at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square and ends at the Boston Women's Memorial on the Commonwealth Avenue mall. Women mentioned include:
Sister Ann Alexis, administrator of Carney Hospital and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de PaulMary Antin, author and immigration rights activistAlice Stone Blackwell, women's suffragist, journalist, and human rights advocateMelnea Cass, civil rights activistMary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, ScientistLouise Imogen Guiney, poet, essayist, and editorAnne Hutchinson, religious dissenterAlice M. Jordan, founder of the New England Round Table of Children's LibrariansMary Morton Kehew, social reform leaderEllen Lanyon, artistFrances Rich, sculptorEllen Swallow Richards, pioneering environmental chemistBeryl Robinson, educator and storytellerLucy Stone, suffragist and founder of the Woman's JournalAnne Sullivan, teacher of Helen KellerPhillis Wheatley, poetThe Beacon Hill walk begins at the State House and winds through Beacon Hill, often in parallel with the Black Heritage Trail. Women mentioned include:
Louisa May Alcott, authorRuth Batson, civil rights activistBlanche Woodson Braxton, the first African-American woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Bar AssociationMaria Weston Chapman, founder of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery SocietyEllen Craft, escaped slave, author, and educatorRebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African-American woman physicianMargaret Deland, authorMary Dyer, one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrsAnnie Adams Fields, authorLouise Imogen Guiney, authorHarriet Hayden, African-American abolitionistAnna E. Hirsch, the first woman president of the Board of Trustees of New England School of LawJulia Ward Howe, abolitionist, activist, and author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"Anne Hutchinson, religious dissenterSarah Orne Jewett, authorMary Eliza Mahoney, the first professionally trained African-American nurseSophia Palmer and Mary E. P. Davis, founders of the American Nurses AssociationSusan Paul, African-American abolitionistElizabeth Peabody, founder of the first English-language kindergarten in the U.S.Rose Standish Nichols, landscape architectLinda Richards, the first professionally trained American nurseFlorida Ruffin Ridley, civil rights activistJosephine St. Pierre Ruffin, African-American publisher, civil rights leader, and women's suffragistMaria W. Stewart, African-American abolitionistHepzibah Swan, socialite and art patronHarriet Tubman, African-American abolitionist, women's suffragist, and Union spy who spent time in BostonAnne Whitney, sculptor, including Samuel Adams statue at Faneuil HallMarie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, physician and founder of the New England Hospital for Women and ChildrenSisters of St. Margaret, founders of St. Monica's HomeStudents of the Portia School of LawFemale founders of the Vilna ShulWomen mentioned on the Charlestown walk include:
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African-American woman physicianCharlotte Cushman, actressJulia Harrington Duff, the first Irish-American woman to serve on the Boston School CommitteeSarah Josepha Hale, author, instrumental in the creation of Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. and the Bunker Hill MonumentHarriot Kezia Hunt, an early female physicianRosie the Riveter, in connection with the 8,000 women who worked at the Charlestown Navy YardSquaw Sachem, Pawtucket leaderElizabeth McLean Smith, sculptor and president of the New England Sculptors AssociationElizabeth Foster Vergoose, also known as Mother GooseThe Chinatown/South Cove walk begins at the Boston Common Visitor Center, passes through Chinatown, and ends at Park Square. Women mentioned include:
Sarah Caldwell, opera conductor and impresarioEdnah Dow Littlehale Cheney, writer, reformer, and philanthropistChew Shee Chin, founder of the New England Chinese Women's AssociationHarriet Clisby, physician and founder of the Women's Educational and Industrial UnionJennie Collins, humanitarian, and one of the first working-class American women to publish a bookHelena Dudley, director of Denison HouseAmelia Earhart, aviator and social worker at Denison HouseRuby Foo, restaurateurMargaret Fuller, journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with American transcendentalismPauline Hopkins, author, editor of The Colored AmericanMary Morton Kehew, social reform leaderRose Lok, aviator, the first Chinese-American woman pilot to solo at Logan AirportMary A. Mahan, first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Bar AssociationThe Maryknoll SistersAnnie McKay, Boston's first school nurseRose Finkelstein Norwood, labor organizerJulia O'Connor, labor organizerMary Kenney O'Sullivan, labor organizerElizabeth Peabody, founder of the first English-language kindergarten in the U.S.Vida Dutton Scudder, co-founder of Denison HouseHannah Sabbagh Shakir, founder of the Lebanese-Syrian Ladies' Aid SocietyFrances Stern, one of the first nutritionists in the United StatesPhillis Wheatley, poetMembers of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' UnionMembers of the Boston Women's Trade Union LeagueResidents of the YWCA "Working Girls Home"The Uphams Corner walk in Dorchester, developed by students at Codman Academy, is the first in a planned series of Dorchester walks. Women mentioned include:
Alice Stone Blackwell, women's suffragist, journalist, and human rights advocateElida Rumsey Fowle, Civil War volunteer and adoptive mother of two emancipated slave childrenSarah Wentworth Apthorp Morton, poetAnna Clapp Harris Smith, founder of the Animal Rescue LeagueHepzibah Swan, socialite and art patronGeraldine Trotter, editor and activist"Ann & Betty", two slaves buried in Dorchester's oldest graveyardLocal women's abolitionist groupsStarting at the State House and ending at the corner of Franklin and Washington Streets, the Downtown walk passes some of Boston's oldest historic sites. Women mentioned include:
Abigail Adams, wife of John AdamsHannah Adams, the first woman in the U.S. who worked professionally as a writerJennie Loitman Barron, the first woman appointed to the Massachusetts Superior CourtClara Barton, founder of the American Red CrossAlice Stone Blackwell, women's suffragist, journalist, and human rights advocateMaria Weston Chapman, founder of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery SocietyLydia Maria Child, abolitionist and women's rights activistLucretia Crocker, science educatorSheila Levrant de Bretteville, artistDorothea Dix, activist on behalf of the indigent insane who created the first generation of American mental asylumsJulia Harrington Duff, the first Irish-American woman to serve on the Boston School CommitteeMary Dyer, one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrsMary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, ScientistAnnie Adams Fields, authorEliza Lee Cabot Follen, author and abolitionistAbiah Franklin, mother of Benjamin FranklinSarah and Angelina Grimké, abolitionists and women's suffragistsMary Tileston Hemenway, philanthropistHarriet Hosmer, sculptorAnne Hutchinson, religious dissenterHelen Hunt Jackson, authorEdmonia Lewis, sculptorMary Livermore, journalist and women's rights advocateGrace Lorch, teacher and civil rights activistAmy Lowell, poetFlorence Luscomb, architect and women's suffragistAbby May, school founder, activist, and one of the first social workers in MassachusettsJane Mecom, sister and confidant of Benjamin FranklinElizabeth Murray, businesswoman and proto-feminist during the American RevolutionJudith Sargent Murray, women's rights advocate, essayist, playwright, and poetMary Kenney O'Sullivan, labor organizerSarah Parker Remond, African-American abolitionistSusanna Rowson, playwright and actressJosephine St. Pierre Ruffin, African-American publisher, civil rights leader, and women's suffragistFrances Slanger, the first American nurse in Europe to be killed in combat during World War IILucy Stone, suffragist and founder of the Woman's JournalAnne Sullivan, teacher of Helen KellerElizabeth Foster Vergoose, also known as Mother GooseMercy Otis Warren, political writer of the American RevolutionPhillis Wheatley, poetFemale dressmakers, milliners, and operators of Dress Reform ParlorsFemale lecturers at the Tremont TempleFemale organizers of the New England Holocaust MemorialFemale speakers at Faneuil Hall, including Susette La Flesche and Sarah Josepha HaleWomen mentioned on the Jamaica Plain walk include:
Emily Greene Balch, economist, sociologist and pacifist; winner of the Nobel Peace PrizeEdnah Dow Littlehale Cheney, writer, reformer, and philanthropistMary Emilda Curley, wife of James Michael CurleySusan Walker Fitzgerald, the first female Democrat elected to the Massachusetts State LegislatureMargaret Fuller, journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with American transcendentalismMaud Cuney Hare, musician, musicologist, and civil rights activistElizabeth Peabody, founder of the first English-language kindergarten in the U.S.Sylvia Plath, poetEllen Swallow Richards, pioneering environmental chemistMary Joseph Rogers, founder of the Maryknoll SistersPauline Agassiz Shaw, philanthropist and social reformerJudith Winsor Smith, abolitionist and women's suffragistLucy Stone, suffragist and founder of the Woman's JournalMarie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, physician and founder of the New England Hospital for Women and ChildrenThe Ladies Walk celebrates the lives of First Lady Abigail Adams, suffragist Lucy Stone, and poet Phillis Wheatley. It starts at the Boston Women's Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue and ends at Faneuil Hall.
Women mentioned on the Lower Roxbury walk include:
Melnea Cass, civil rights activistMildred Daniels, community activistSisters residing at the local Carmelite MonasteryStudents of Girls' High SchoolThe North End walk begins at Faneuil Hall, passes through the North End, and ends at St. Leonard's Church, one of the first Italian churches in the U.S. It overlaps at several points with the Freedom Trail. Women mentioned on this walk include:
Charlotte Cushman, actressGoody Glover, the last person to be hanged in Boston as a witchEdith Guerrier, founder of the Saturday Evening GirlsSarah Josepha Hale, founder of the Boston Seaman's Aid SocietyLina Frank Hecht, founder of the Hebrew Industrial SchoolHarriot Kezia Hunt, an early female physicianRose Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother of John F. KennedyClementina Poto Langone, Italian-American civic leaderJudith Sargent Murray, women's rights advocate, essayist, playwright, and poetRachel Walker Revere, wife of Paul ReverePauline Agassiz Shaw, founder of the North Bennet Street Industrial SchoolHelen Osborne Storrow, philanthropistSophie Tucker, entertainerFemale fundraisers for St. Leonard's ChurchWomen mentioned on the Roxbury walk include:
Melnea Cass, civil rights activistJessie Gideon Garnett, the first African-American woman dentist in BostonEllen Swepson Jackson, educator and activistElma Lewis, arts educator and founder of the National Center of Afro-American ArtistsMary Eliza Mahoney, the first professionally trained African-American nurseLucy Miller Mitchell, daycare pioneer, co-founder of Head Start and Freedom HouseSarah-Ann Shaw, television reporterMuriel S. Snowden, co-founder of Freedom House, recipient of MacArthur Genius GrantMaude Trotter Steward, newspaper editorGeraldine Trotter, editor and activistThe South End walk starts at Back Bay Station and ends at the Boston Center for the Arts. Women mentioned on the Sound End walk include:
Louisa May Alcott, authorTina Allen, sculptorMaria Louise Baldwin, African-American educator and civic leaderMary McLeod Bethune, educator and school founderMelnea Cass, civil rights activistHattie B. Cooper, leader of the Women's Home Missionary SocietyLucretia Crocker, science educatorEstella Crosby, co-founder of the Boston unit of the Housewives LeagueWilhelmina Marguerita Crosson, educator and early advocate of black history educationRebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African-American woman physicianFern Cunningham, sculptor; created the first sculpture honoring a woman (Harriet Tubman) in a Boston public spaceMildred Davenport, renowned African-American dancer and dance instructorMary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, ScientistMeta Vaux Warrick Fuller, artist, sculptorFrieda Garcia, community activistAnna Bobbit Gardner, the first African-American woman to be awarded a bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of MusicLouise Imogen Guiney, poet, essayist, and editorHarriet Boyd Hawes, pioneering archaeologistCoretta Scott King, civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.Annie McKay, Boston's first school nurseCora Reid McKerrow, local businesswomanLouise Chandler Moulton, author and criticMary Safford-Blake, the first woman gynecologistSusie King Taylor, escaped slave, author, and the first African-American Army nurseHarriet Tubman, African-American abolitionist, women's suffragist, and Union spy who spent time in BostonMyrna Vazquez, renowned actress in Puerto Rico; South End community activistAnna Quincy Waterston, authorE. Virginia Williams, founder of the Boston BalletMary Evans Wilson, founder of the Women's Service ClubCommunity activists Jeanette Hajjar, Helen Morton, and Paula OyolaMembers of the Boston Ladies' Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car PortersMembers of the Lebanese-Syrian Ladies' Aid SocietyStudents of the Boston Normal School and the New England Female Medical CollegeResidents of the Bethany Home for Young Women, St. Helena’s House, and the Franklin Square HouseWomen mentioned on the West Roxbury walk include:
Kathleen Coffey, first woman Chief Justice of West Roxbury District CourtMary Draper, Revolutionary war activistMargaret Fuller, journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with American transcendentalismSophia Ripley, feminist associated with American transcendentalismEvelyn Shakir, Lebanese-American scholar and authorMarian Walsh, Massachusetts state senatorLocal activists Alice Hennessey, Ellen McGill, and Pamela Seigle
