Honoring 133 Black women buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester, former residents of the Home for Aged Colored Women on Beacon Hill, whose names were unknown and stories untold for over 150 years.
In Dorchester’s Cedar Grove Cemetery, two flat stone slabs rest close to the ground. Each bears the same simple inscription: Home for Aged Colored Women. No names. No stories. No explanation.
Beneath those markers lie 133 Black women, former residents of the Home for Aged Colored Women on Beacon Hill, interred at Cedar Grove between 1873 and 1941 in two unmarked communal graves. Most spent their lives in service to wealthy Boston families, their contributions unrecognized and their stories largely forgotten. For over 150 years, they remained hidden in plain view.
In partnership with the Friends of Cedar Grove Cemetery, Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (BWHT) is working to change that. Through community collaboration, ongoing historical research, and public art, the project aims to recover the stories of these 133 women, restore their names to public memory, and create a lasting memorial in their honor.
Ms. Charlotte Cougle was born in Liberty County, Georgia in 1778, the same year the United States Constitution was adopted. The U.S. Constitution excluded Charlotte from any legal rights or protections. Georgia law deemed offspring of enslaved mothers to be enslaved automatically at birth.
Major Jacobs Woods, a state senator and planter, was Charlotte’s enslaver. In 1831, when she was 53 years old, Major Woods sent her to Boston as a caretaker for his 7-year-old granddaughter, Sarah Frances Pierce, while she attended boarding school. For the next 14 years, Charlotte cared for Sarah at the boarding school run by Mrs. Burrill.
Several years after sending Charlotte to Boston, Major Woods died. In accordance with his will, the 150 persons enslaved on his plantation were declared free and sent to Liberia. Charlotte’s own daughter was one of those sent away.
In 1845, Major Woods’ granddaughter, Sarah, now 21, returned to Georgia to marry. Charlotte refused to return because if she did, she would be enslaved by the granddaughter’s new husband.
Charlotte continued living under the financial care of Mrs. Burrill until, at age 82 in 1860, she felt her presence had become more of a burden than a help, so Mrs. Burrill recommended her to the Home, and Charlotte decided to enter. She remained at the Home for the next 18 years.
It is recorded that she had promised Major Woods that she would never return to the south, though the nature of the reason behind this promise is unknown. In the Home’s annual report for 1778 it was recorded that Charlotte had been “charged by him never to return.”
Ms. Charlotte lived in the Home until her death at age 100 in 1878. She was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery, without a marker.
Interview with Rita Steele and Hilarie Jackson about their journey researching their ancestor Sarah Smith, who is one of the women buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Interview with Rita Steele and Hilarie Jackson about their journey researching their ancestor Sarah Smith, who is one of the women buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
5th Great-Grandfather
1766 – 1851
5th Great-Grandmother
Born 1760s
4th Great-Grandmother
Born: 1799; Newport, RI
Died: December 6, 1890; Boston, MA (91 yrs)
Buried: Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester, MA
↓
3rd Great-Grandfather
1823 – 1895
↓
2nd Great- Grandmother
1856 – 1894
↓
Great-Grandmother
1887 – 1947
↓
Grandfather
1905 – 1986
↓
Mother
Born: Baltimore, MD (living)
↓
Born: Baltimore, MD (living)
While walking her dog during the pandemic, Dorchester resident Joyce Linehan notices the two stones without any names. Working with Cedar Grove Cemetery staff, neighbors, and local community members begin asking questions about the women buried beneath the two markers. Dr. Karilyn Crockett and her students at MIT begin research to uncover the names of the 133 Black women from the Home who are buried at Cedar Grove.
Community outreach expands. A community meeting begins collaborative engagement with neighbors to honor the women.
Friends of Cedar Grove Cemetery are awarded the Legacy Grant from Hemenway and Barnes to undertake the process of determining a long-term memorial. Boston Women's Heritage Trail is chosen to manage and lead the project.
Research continues in collaboration with Dr. Crockett. Boston Women's Heritage Trail commissions renowned artist Ekua Holmes to create a temporary public art project to raise awareness of the women's stories and engage the community in shaping the memorial. Community events and trail activations in development. Project-related sites included on BWHT’s existing Beacon Hill and Southern Dorchester trails.
Phase I of this project concludes with the installation of a temporary memorial designed by Ekua Holmes, to be unveiled at Cedar Grove Cemetery, and includes both a community celebration and an original poem performed by the poet Porsha Olayiwola. Phase II will continue to build on community engagement to determine the design for a permanent memorial installation at both burial sites.
Amplify and celebrate the stories of the incredible women who shaped Boston. Every donation brings us closer to expanding access to our trails, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives.
Boston Women’s Heritage Trail is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 93-3081855.
