Black History at the Vassall Estate Special History Study

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The Black History at the Vassall Estate Special History Study (2025) explores the lives and communities of enslaved and formerly enslaved people who worked at the Vassall house (today Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site) and lived in the surrounding area before, during, and after the American Revolution. The life of Darby Vassall helps frame the study: born in Cambridge in 1769 and enslaved at the Vassall house, he went on to become a prominent leader in Boston’s free Black community before his death in 1861.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research methods and in close collaboration with lineal descendants, the authors examined sources across New England, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, and Antigua to address central research questions, including:

1. What role did slavery play in building the fortunes of the Vassall family?

2. How did slavery in Massachusetts relate to slavery in the Caribbean? What is the geographic context of this connection?

3. Who were the enslaved occupants of the Vassall house?

4. What was the role of enslaved people in the construction and later economic and social operations of the Vassall House, and how is this reflected in the cultural resources at the site today?

5. What strategies did Black occupants of the Vassall house pursue to construct, express, and maintain their identities?

6. What relationships existed among the enslaved residents of the “Tory Row” estates along Brattle Street and in the surrounding communities?

7. How did the American Revolution affect enslaved people in Cambridge?

8. What happened to the enslaved residents of the Vassall house after their emancipation?

The study was authored by Caitlin DeAngelis, PhD, Carla Martin, PhD, Rayshauna Gray, Aabid Allibhai, PhD, and Eshe Sherley, PhD, for the National Park Service in partnership with the National Council on Public History.

The National Park Service thanks the many descendant community members who co-designed the research questions and provided feedback throughout the research process.