The Royall House and Slave Quarters
Medford, Massachusetts
Mission & Strategic Plan
At the end of 2005, the Royall House Association adopted a new Mission Statement and Strategic Plan designed to take the history and meaning of the Royall House and Slave Quarters into the future. Strategic Plan Statement (pdf).
A Unique Window into the Past
The home of one of the richest families in New England and the enslaved Africans who made their lifestyle possible. Architecture, furnishings, and artifacts bear witness to their entwined stories. The Home.
Isaac Royall
Isaac Royall never intended to abandon hearth and home. He just got caught on the wrong side of the Revolution. Royall Family History.
The Royall House Slaves
When the Royalls moved to Medford from Antigua, they brought 27 slaves with them. New England slavery was not benign. The Royall Slaves.
Public Programs
Regular public lectures cover a variety of topics on Colonial and Medford history, Northern slavery, and much more. Events.
Archeology
A full-scale dig has uncovered more than 5,000 objects from the Royall family and their slaves. The Dig.
The Tory Story
The Royall House is part of "The Other Side". Isaac Royall was a Loyalist, or Tory, and remained loyal to King George III. The Tory Trail.
Family Connections
Many families have been connected to the Royall House since 1732. Families.
Visitor Schedule
The 2010 Tour Season at the Royall House and Slave Quarters continues, with Tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. Group Tours may also be arranged by e-mailing our Executive Director at Cloaking . More details at: Visitor Guide.
Meeting Space, Event Facility
Our beautiful grounds are available for rental. Have your special event at the Royall House. Rental information.
Getting There
The Royall House and Slave Quarters are located at 15 George Street in Medford, Massachusetts. Detailed Map.
Other Historic Sites and Resources in Medford
Medford Historical Society. Founded in 1896 to collect and preserve Medford history.
The Brooks Estate. Fifty acres of historic open space, two historic buildings.
Medford Historical Commission / Historic District Commission. Official city board for historic preservation and district issues.
This web site is funded in part by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.
The Royall House and Slave Quarters
West Façade, Royall House
Photo © Geoffrey Gross 2007. From Great Houses of New England; Rizzoli, 2008. Used by permission.
Slave Quarters
The Royall House and Slave Quarters were built in 1732-1739. The House is one of the finest 18th century buildings in New England; the Slave Quarters is the only such structure in the Northern United States. Both the buildings and grounds are a National Historic Landmark. Together, these unique structures tell the intertwined stories of liberty and bondage, independence and slavery, as they have been played out not only in Colonial times, but throughout American history.
Among these stories is that of Belinda, one of the enslaved Africans owned by the Royalls; after their departure, she successfully petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature in 1783 for a pension. Of course, these stories played out in the context of the American Revolution. After the departure of the Royalls to England, General John Stark made the Royall House his headquarters in the first days of the Revolutionary War. General George Washington helped plan the siege of Boston from here.
For more information, see the Royall House and Slave Quarters.
The Reinterpretation Project: Moving Forward This Summer!
Our major undertaking in 2010 is the Reinterpretation Project. As noted earlier in this space, we are completely re-doing three key spaces in the main house (the Kitchen, the stairwell, and the Kitchen Chamber) to better convey the presence and centrality of the enslaved Africans in the daily work necessary to maintain the lavish lifestyle of the Royalls, as well as the overall history of the Royall House and Slave Quarters.
The project involves research (documents, paint analysis, etc.), physical changes (plaster, carpentry and paint), furnishings (retained and acquired, including reproductions), and changes in the standard visitor tour narrative and sequencing.
This dramatic reinstallation will form the basis for reinterpreting our resources – buildings, landscape, archaeological artifacts, and primary source materials – to contribute to a deeper understanding of northern colonial slavery and the African presence in pre-Revolutionary Massachusetts.
Work has already begun on the physical changes and we hope to have the rest of the undertaking complete in the fall. To keep everyone informed, we will issue periodic updates. To read the first installment, please click here.
Thank you, Spring Celebration Event Sponsors
Our Spring Celebration was a big success and we'd like to thank everyone who made it possible.
Here is a list of those generous organizations and people who helped sponsor the event. Spring Celebration Sponsors.
A very big "thank you" goes out to M. T. Anderson, author of the Octavian Nothing novels, for his wonderful talk. His understanding of history, character and the role of the historical novel is unparalleled. Thank you also to Kaylan Adair of Candlewick Press in Somerville.
A great big "thank you" to the 1772 Foundation, which has generously supported our Reinterpretation Project. The Project also has been supported by a grant from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation – thank you! Thank you also to Brent Leggs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, whose support of our efforts has been stellar!
Food and beverages were generously donated by Shaw’s (Medford), Johnnie’s Foodmaster (Chelsea) Sei Bar (Medford), Whole Foods (Medford), Costco (Everett), and Stop and Shop (Medford). Wine was donated by Mike Oliver and Beverly Cohen.
Special thanks goes to Mike Oliver, Chair of our Events Committee, and Gracelaw Simmons, who both did a myriad of tasks to make the event possible. Thanks to the work of our Landscape Committee, Lindsay Rider, Chair, and to our on-site volunteers: Ted Raia; Brenda Rosenberg; Clara Read, Elizabeth Merrick and Matt Pustz. Finally, we'd like to thank everyone who attended. We greatly appreciate your support (and we hope you enjoyed yourselves on such a beautiful day)!
Our Mission
The Royall House Association explores the meanings of freedom and independence before, during and since the American Revolution, in the context of a household of wealthy Loyalists and enslaved Africans.
Funding for this web site provided by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.