Smith Court Residences

The Smith Court Residences consist of a row of modest brick buildings marked by their weathered facades and the narrow, alley-like intimacy of the court itself. These houses provided homes for Boston’s Black community during the nineteenth century, including William Cooper Nell, an abolitionist who worked alongside Frederick Douglass. Nell used his home here to coordinate the Underground Railroad and organize the campaign to integrate Boston’s public schools. His small parlor became a staging ground for the local push toward civil rights.