Your Special Event Deserves a Significant Setting
We invite you to enjoy the Museum’s treasured resources and delightful landscapes in our Boston and Nantucket locations. Discover the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School on Boston’s Beacon Hill. Meet in the rooms where Frederick Douglass recruited the historic 54th Regiment of black civil war soldiers. Speak from the platform of the building once called the Black Faneuil Hall. Conduct your workshop in the classrooms of the first building constructed to house a black public school. Hold your board meeting where William Lloyd Garrison launched the New England Anti-Slavery Society.
Our Event Spaces
The museum of African American History offers unique flexible spaces that can be customized to suit your needs. Spaces may be combined for a light reception and/or small intimate dinner.
The Abiel Smith School
The Abiel Smith School was built in 1835 specifically to serve Boston’s African American students:
- Features two levels
- Includes a catering kitchen
- Accommodates 45 on each level
African Meeting House Boston
The African Meeting House, built in 1806, is the nation’s oldest extant black church building:
- Features three levels – reception room, sanctuary, and balcony
- Accommodates 80 standing on ground level, 180 upper levels with pew seating
African Meeting House Nantucket
The African Meeting House, consecrated in 1825, is the only surviving public building constructed and occupied by African Americans on Nantucket in the 19th century:
- Historic post-and-beam meeting house with restored pew seating and landscaped grounds
- Accommodates up to 80 guests in comfortable pew seating, with outdoor space available for receptions and gatherings
Seneca Boston - Florence Higginbotham House
The Seneca Boston–Florence Higginbotham House, built circa 1774, is one of the earliest surviving homes continuously owned by African American families on Nantucket:
- Historic residential property used for tours, educational programs, and intimate events
- Accommodates up to 15 guests for small gatherings and private programming
Rental Form
Please complete the following form in full. A staff member will review your application and contact you within 72 hours about availability and a rental estimate. The Museum of African American History reserves the right to grant or deny any application for the use of event spaces.