The Abiel Smith School was the first public school for free black people. The city of Boston built it with a bequest from Abiel Smith, a white philanthropist who left an estimated $4,000 in his will for the education of black children. The building was also the first public project of its architect, Richard Upjohn.
When the school opened in 1835, all of Boston's black children were assigned to it. It replaced a basement school in the African Meeting House next door. Today the building at 46 Joy Street is an African American museum and part of the Boston African American National Historic Site. It is a stop on the Boston Black Heritage Trail and lies within the Beacon Hill Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
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