Home of Historic Civil Rights Activist For Sale in Boston

Lee Robinson of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty has listed the historic home of William Monroe Trotter in the Jones Hill neighborhood of Dorchester. This modest five bedroom, two bath Victorian home has a picket fence, and a farmhouse feeling with a vintage kitchen, a tree-top master suite and many charming architectural details. It also features extensive decorative painting by John Derian. This unusual property offers a restful urban oasis with a terrace, a professionally landscaped yard, two pergolas, a tree swing, parking and a wonderful location – high upon Jones Hill, capturing lovely natural light and ocean breezes.

Mr. Trotter graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1895, and was the first man of color to be awarded a Phi Beta Kappa key. But upon graduation with an M.A., he quickly hit the glass ceiling in his professional life. A co-founder of The Guardian, an African American activist newspaper, he also was a charter member of the Niagara Movement, a forerunner to the NAACP. As a political activist and publisher he railed against segregation in government and agitated for radical reform and equal rights. In 1899 he married, Geraldine Pindell who co-partnered with him providing substantial help and support enabling Mr. Trotter to achieve significant success. The couple lived in their Jones Hill home until her death in 1916 and his in 1934. The home was named a National Historic Site in 1976.

With a unique combination of charming details, abundant natural light and generous living space, this storied home captures all the romance of the Victorian era. For more information, go to gibsonsothebysrealty.com.

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