Hepzibah Clarke Swan and Julia Ward Howe
Designed by Charles Bulfinch ca. 1806, this house represents the lives of two notable Boston women: Hepzibah Clarke Swan (1757-1825) and Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910).
Home of Harriot S. Curtis and Margaret Curtis
Harriot S. Curtis (1881-1974) and Margaret Curtis (1883-1965) were athletes and social activists who made significant contributions to healthcare and women’s sports.
Portia School of Law
Founded in 1908, the Portia School of Law was originally located here. It was the only law school exclusively for women, providing legal education and breaking barriers in the profession.
Rose Nichols and Nichols House Museum
Rose Standish Nichols (1872-1964), a pioneering landscape architect and lifelong pacifist, lived on Mount Vernon Street, making significant contributions to art, design, and peace.
Home of Louisa May Alcott
In the 1850s, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), author of Little Women, lived here where her mother ran a boarding house. Alcott was active in abolition, women’s rights, and suffrage movements
Home of Bashka Paeff
Known as the “subway sculptress” for creating clay models during her work as a toll collector, Bashka Paeff (1893-1973) was a Russian Jewish immigrant and a celebrated artist.
Elizabeth Peabody’s Kindergarten
One of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody’s (1804-1894) kindergartens, considered the founder of the U.S. kindergarten movement, was at 15 Pinckney Street, a mirror image of 17 Pinckney Street.
Home for Aged Colored Women
Established on Beacon Hill in 1860 at the beginning of the Civil War, this home provided old-age housing for formerly enslaved women and Black women from Boston’s free Black community.
African Meeting House
The African Meeting House on Beacon Hill was central to Boston’s African American community, hosting abolitionists like Maria Stewart (1803-1879) and Nancy Gardner Prince (1799-1859).
Museum of African American History and Abiel Smith School
The Museum of African American History, founded in 1964 by Sue Bailey Thurman (1903-1996), acquired the African Meeting House in 1972. It preserves and promotes African American heritage
Home of Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895), the first African American woman doctor, earned her degree in 1864 from New England Female Medical College. She later practiced on Joy Street in Boston
Office of Salome Merritt
Salome Merritt (1843-1900), a physician, suffragist, and lecturer, played a vital role in Boston’s civic life and established her medical practice at this location.
The Massachusetts State House
The State House honors abolitionists Angelina and Sarah Grimké, reformer Dorothea Dix, and other pioneers featured in the Notable Women of Boston mural.
Notable Women of Boston Mural
Located at the top of the Grand Staircase, the mural “Notable Women of Boston” by Ellen Lanyon (1926-2013) honors trailblazing women in American and Boston culture.
Clara Barton, Frances Slanger, Nurses Hall
The statue of a Civil War nurse at Nurses Hall honors wartime nurses. Two plaques behind the statue honor Clara Barton and Frances Slanger for their significant contributions.
“Hear Us” — State House Women’s Leadership Project
In 1996, the Massachusetts legislature commissioned an art installation outside Doric Hall featuring six influential women to honor their contributions and address the lack of representation
Anne Hutchinson Statue
Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) was banished from Boston in 1638 for her religious beliefs. She held prayer meetings at her home, attracting women by preaching equality of souls.
Former Site of Hancock House
This is the original site of John Hancock’s home, where Abigail Adams (1744-1818) and her husband, John Adams (1735-1826), were joyously welcomed back to Boston in 1788 after years abroad.
Statues of Women Dissenters: Mary Dyer and Anne Hutchinson
Mary Dyer (d. 1660) was a Quaker who witnessed for religious freedom in Boston. Banished twice, she was hanged on her third return.
Home and Office: Dr. Lucy Sewall, Dr. Susan Dimock
Dr. Susan Dimock (1847-75) was Resident Physician at the New England Hospital for Women and Children and professionalized the first formal nurses’ training program in the U.S.