Worcester Black History Trail Dedicated: Photos

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester's new Black History Trail took about four years to come to fruition, but it contains hundreds of years of history.

Local elected officials, educators and history buffs gathered Thursday evening near the corner of North Ashland and John streets in Worcester's Elm Park neighborhood to dedicate the first marker along the trail, which traces significant sites in the city's Black history.

The dedication was the first piece of a larger effort that will eventually mark about 30 sites across the city, and include a phone app to guide visitors.

"This project came about because the community had to be involved in its own history," said Holy Cross professor and Worcester Black History Trail Committee member Thomas Doughton at Thursday's event.

The marker unveiled Thursday stands amid several notable sites, including the John Street Baptist Church, a center of worship in the Black community that dates to 1891. Across the street, the homes of jazz musician Freddie Bates and the Cully family, also musicians and entertainers — their houses stood where Elm Park Elementary School now does. Around the corner where an apartment building stands at North Ashland and Bowdoin streets was the home of Samuel Langford, ranked as one of the greatest boxers who ever fought.

Mayor Joseph Petty said that many of Worcester's Black history has been erased over the years, notably during the construction of I-290. The trail is a way to "tell the story that's been paved over and forgotten in the collective consciousness," Petty said.

At-Large Councilor Khrystian King, who helped get the trail effort started in 2018, remarked that Worcester's Black history has been obscured. The trail would finally bring Black history to the fore, he said.

"It's about time it was recognized," King said.

To visit sites, head to the Worcester Black History Trail website hosted by Holy Cross.