Local Bank Supports Royall House & Slave Quarters

Medford’s Royall House and Slave Quarters was recently awarded a generous sponsorship grant for Giving Voice, this fall’s annual benefit event.

The generosity of the East Cambridge Savings Bank will support the core mission of the Royall House and Slave Quarters to educate young people and the general public on the history of northern colonial slavery while preserving two historically and architecturally significant buildings.

“We are grateful to the East Cambridge Savings Bank for recognizing the value of our museum to Medford and surrounding communities,” said Penny Outlaw, co-president of the Royall House and Slave Quarters board of directors. “We welcomed more than 5,000 visitors for school field trips, guided tours, and educational programs in 2014, including several who stayed overnight in the Slave Quarters as a special component of Giving Voice. The Bank’s generosity helped make this level of community engagement possible.”

About East Cambridge Savings Bank: The East Cambridge Savings Bank was established in 1854 on the principles of stability, security, and peace of mind. Today it remains committed to being the bank of choice in its market area, recognized for exceptional service to individuals and small businesses and committed to the community. The bank’s community philanthropy focuses on low-to-moderate income individuals within the Bank’s Community Reinvestment (CRA) communities – Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Waltham and Watertown.

About the museum: In the eighteenth century, the Royall House & Slave Quarters was home to the largest slaveholding family in Massachusetts and the enslaved Africans who made their lavish way of life possible. Architecture, household items, and archaeological artifacts bear witness to the intertwined stories of wealth and bondage, set against the backdrop of America’s quest for independence. The Slave Quarters is the only remaining such structure in the northern United States, and the Royall House is among the finest colonial-era buildings in New England.

The Royall House and Slave Quarters is located at 15 George Street in Medford, Massachusetts. Please email director@RoyallHouse.org for more information, visit RoyallHouse.org, and find us on Facebook.

– Submitted by Tom Lincoln