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Cycling Boston’s Underground Railroad

28 May ’05

Back in February, Vic and I bundled up for a few weekends and learned about the role Boston played in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. I then strung together a cycling route that makes an interesting half-day out.

In addition to visiting the Beacon Hill neighborhood and the Afro American History Museum and National History site, you also get a bit of the Charles River Esplanade once you’re past Harvard, and a trip out to a fine museum in Newton. Finally, it loops you back into Brookline and into the heart of the current African American community to see the last home of William Lloyd Garrison. I’d rate this 23 mile ride as medium, due to some stretches of heavy urban traffic and some tricky route finding.

If you’re in Boston, I’d love to get any input on this ride or your route suggestions.

The print version here.

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3 Comments


todd
29 May ’05 at 6:41 am
Reply

Spectacular. Very well done.

I might have included a bit of the South End in the trip, however, although I know traffic would be bad. There’s a plaque on the house of the first black physician in Massachusetts; the intersection of Mass Ave & Columbus Ave was Jazz central from the 20s to the 50s (Wally’s still exists); MLK lived on the 500 or 600 block of Mass Ave while attending BU; Malcom X lived just down the street in Roxbury; the Harriet Tubman statue and an extraordinary sculpture called “Exodus” is on Columbus Ave as is the Harriet Tubman House; there’s the A. Philip Randolph statue and mini-Pullman museum in Back Bay Station.

There’s some other stuff, but it’s not coming to me off the top of my head.



Knox Gardner
31 May ’05 at 5:32 am
Reply

Hey Todd,

Thanks! Of the many things I stuggled with when putting together this route, was some of the “more interesting” sites and bits that reflect African American history and influence in Boston. Perhaps a more general “African American history” ride would be more interesting? What do you think?

One of the goals for me was that families could bike this together. Right now, it is just too damn hard due to Boston traffic. Any ideas on how to make that simplier?

Finally, this ride takes the South Corridor back into the South End, so if you have some specific addresses that should be worked in, I’d certainly be glad to try. I’m familiar with the Tubman statue but not the Exodus one. I’ll have to go ride around and look for it.



Todd
31 May ’05 at 11:15 am
Reply

Traffic is certainly the biggest issue, esp. if family riding is your goal. The Tubman and Exodus sculptures are accessible from the corridor, and the Randoph statue is inside Back Bay station, so you can get to that. As far as the rest of them go, it’s probably too difficult (and dangerous) for kids to be riding around.



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