Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Grotte de Glace
Sinquerim Beach Bastion
Port Tobacco Schoolhouse
Barracks / munitions storage.
Vloethemveld
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Green-Wood Cemetery, overlooking New York Harbor.
Where Our Team Looked for Joy During Pandemic Lockdowns
2 days ago
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
2 days ago
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
3 days ago
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Massachusetts Boston Leonard A. Grimes Residence
AO Edited

Leonard A. Grimes Residence

The Boston home of a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Boston, Massachusetts

Added By
Josh Woolstenhulme
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
  TheDiscoveryService / Atlas Obscura User
Leonard A. Grimes   Library of Congress/Public Domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Among the many apartments located on Boston's historic Beacon Hill, there is a plaque on Grove Street commemorating the residence of a prominent figure in mid-19th century Boston and the abolitionist movement.

Leonard Andrew Grimes was born on November 9, 1815, in Leesburg, Virginia to free Black parents. He was orphaned around age 10 and sent to live with his uncle but being unhappy there he eventually moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as a hackney carriage driver. Witnessing the horrors of slavery firsthand, he became a conductor for the Underground Railroad and helped transport escaped slaves from Virginia into Washington, D.C. In 1839 he was arrested after being caught assisting slaves and sentenced to prison in Richmond. There he learned of the Baptist faith and after being released in 1840, he was baptized and licensed to become a minister.

He moved to Massachusetts in 1846 and became associated with the American Baptist Missionary convention in New Bedford and Boston. In 1848 he became pastor of the Twelfth Baptist Church and held the position for 27 years. In 1853, escaped slave Anthony Burns arrived in Boston from Virginia. After his former master learned of his whereabouts, he was arrested and tried in accordance with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Burns was sentenced to be sent back to Virginia but abolitionists in Boston including Grimes, were able to raise enough funds to purchase his freedom shortly after he returned south.

During the American Civil War, Grimes helped establish the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment which was one of the first African-American regiments in the US military. He helped recruit for the regiment including many members from his church. Grimes passed away on March 14, 1873, in East Somerville close to Boston.

The Leonard Grimes residence is definitely a very important location for the history of mid-19th century Boston, the abolition movement in the United States, and Black history. Absolutely worth a visit if you are interested in the time period and would like to pay respects to a man who dedicated his life to securing freedom for those suffering under slavery and involuntary servitude.

Related Tags

Underground Railroad Abolitionists Us Civil War Houses Black History Slavery

Community Contributors

Added By

TheDiscoveryService

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, tjhomdepot

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • tjhomdepot

Published

February 18, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nps.gov/people/leonard-grimes.htm
Leonard A. Grimes Residence
28 Grove St
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
United States
42.360191, -71.068557
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lewis and Harriet Hayden House

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Charles Sumner Birthplace Plaque

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Massachusetts General Hospital Sundial

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 33

Nearby Places

Lewis and Harriet Hayden House

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Charles Sumner Birthplace Plaque

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Massachusetts General Hospital Sundial

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 33

Related Places

  • A brick colonial home with a green door and a green-shuttered window

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Lewis and Harriet Hayden House

    Former home of an abolitionist couple who escaped slavery and established the most active Underground Railroad stop in Boston.

  • Elmira, New York

    John W. Jones Museum

    A historical home in upstate New York honors the work of John W. Jones, a formerly enslaved man who was a major agent for the Underground Railroad.

  • The Abyssinian Meeting House is the third-oldest standing African American worship center  in the U.S.

    Portland, Maine

    Abyssinian Meeting House

    This once-forgotten African American cultural hub was an important stop on the Underground Railroad.

  • The former site of the inn is now a municipal plaza named Seaford Gateway Park.

    Seaford, Delaware

    Site of the Tilly Escape

    In October 1856, Harriet Tubman escaped arrest at this site while attempting to reunite an enslaved woman named Tilly with her fiancé.

  • Statue of Tubman.

    Church Creek, Maryland

    Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park

    The grounds of former plantations where abolitionist Harriet Tubman spent her youth enslaved are now a museum to her incredible life.

  • Gibson-Todd House

    Charles Town, West Virginia

    Gibson-Todd House

    This striking Victorian Home with its 113-foot turret is best known as the site where abolitionist John Brown was executed in 1859.

  • James C. Dent House

    Washington, D.C.

    James C. Dent House

    Now a living classroom, this house was once the home of Reverend James Clinton Dent, a formerly enslaved man and a pastor.

  • Charleston, South Carolina

    Robert Smalls Memorial

    This small memorial is almost as well concealed as Smalls himself was on the night he sailed to freedom.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.