Harriet Jacobs Legacy Committee

About Us:

An elderly woman with white hair sitting in an ornate wooden chair, wearing a long dress and a shawl, in sepia tone. Harriet Jacobs

Currently, the project is supported by Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc., and is in the process of becoming an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In July 2022, a grassroots coalition of neighbors, historians, and community activists formed the Harriet Jacobs Legacy Committee to honor the life and work of Harriet Ann Jacobs. The committee's mission is to preserve the purpose of her former home at 127 Mount Auburn Street/17 Story Street and to recognize her enduring contributions to civil rights, education, and the Cambridge community. The committee envisions transforming this historic site into a hub for public education, cultural programming, and community engagement—a space that is inclusive and accessible to all Cambridge residents.

About Harriet Jacobs:

Historical marker about Harriet Jacobs, a fugitive slave, writer, and abolitionist, noting her early life and residence in Edenton, with autumn trees and a utility pole in the background.
Book cover titled "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs, featuring a black and white portrait of a young woman with short hair, wearing a dark dress with shoulder details. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

127 Mount Auburn Street/17 Story Street, photo from the Cambridge Historic Commission By Courtesy of Chris Sullivan

Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813–1897) was a formerly enslaved woman, abolitionist, and author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), the first published autobiography written by a formerly enslaved African American woman. Today, she is recognized as a foundational civil rights figure and feminist leader.

From 1873 to 1877, Harriet Jacobs lived in Cambridge with her daughter, Louisa, managing a boarding house at 127 Mount Auburn Street. During this time, the home became a vibrant cultural and intellectual gathering place, welcoming prominent guests such as:

  • William Lloyd Garrison – Abolitionist and founder of The Liberator

  • Archibald Grimké – Civil rights attorney and NAACP co-founder

  • Christopher Langdell – Harvard Law School Dean and creator of the case method 

  • Henry Adams – Historian and author

  • Charles Francis Adams Jr. – Civil War general and historian

  • Raphael Pumpelly – Geologist and scientific explorer 

  • Adams Sherman Hill – Professor of Rhetoric at Harvard

  • Imogen Willis Eddy – Astronomer and mathematician 

  • Nathaniel Parker Willis – Poet, editor, and literary figure

  • Huntington Denton – Student at Harvard’s Scientific School

Recent historical research about Jacobs’s time in Cambridge was developed by students in Hist 12M/160: Abolitionist Women and Their Worlds, taught by Professor Tiya Miles (Michael Garvey Professor of History) in the Department of History at Harvard University. See their full projects linked below. 

Black and white photo of a three-story Victorian-style house with ornate woodwork, bay windows, small balconies, and a steeply pitched roof. The house has steps leading to the front door. 127 Mount Auburn Street. 17 Story Street
Historical plaque of Harriet A. Jacobs, abolitionist and women's rights advocate, featuring her photo and biography.

A historical marker, sanctioned by the City of Cambridge and installed by the Cambridge Historical Commission, now stands at 127 Mount Auburn Street/17 Story Street. Photographed by J. Malakai Bruton

Two gravestones in a cemetery with grass and fallen leaves. The left gravestone is for Harriett Jacobs, who was born on February 11, 1845, and died on March 7, 1897. The right gravestone is for Louisa M. Jacobs, born on October 19, 1836, and died on April 5, 1917.
A flat, rectangular stone with inscribed text, partly obscured, lying on the ground surrounded by green grass and small plants.

Harriet is buried beside her daughter and brother in Mount Auburn Cemetery

Harriet Jacobs Legacy Committee Members

  • A woman with glasses and long dreadlocks wearing a colorful floral blouse, standing outside near a brick and stone wall, smiling.

    Tiya Miles

    Michael Garvey Professor of History/Radcliffe Alumnae Professor

    Harvard University

  • Headshot of a woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a blue top and colorful earrings and necklace, against a light background.

    Nicola Williams

    President, The Williams Agency

    Executive Director, Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc.

  • A smiling man with glasses wearing a suit jacket and a stole playing a zither in a church setting with wood paneling and arches.

    Reverend Dan Smith

    Former Senior Minister, First Church Cambridge

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with long dreadlocks outdoors

    Melissa Bartholomew

    Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

    Harvard Divinity School

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with short curly hair, wearing a blue top.

    Danielle Allen

    James Bryant Conant University Professor

    Harvard University

  • A close-up of an elderly man with white hair, wearing glasses and a suit, standing outdoors in front of buildings. Chris Mackey. Christopher

    Christopher Mackin

    Ownership Associates, Inc.

  • A smiling senior woman with short gray hair, wearing glasses, earrings, and a patterned blouse, standing in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

    Beth Carroll-Horrocks

    Retired Librarian/Archivist

  • A young African American woman with braided hair, smiling, wearing a red top and gold jewelry, against a plain gray background.

    Kyra March

    Humanities Fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and the National Gallery of Art

    Harvard College ‘22

  • A smiling woman with blonde hair wearing a blue shirt and orange wristband, sitting outdoors near a body of water on a sunny day.

    Marilee Meyer

    Architectural Historian

  • A woman with glasses smiling indoors with bookshelves in the background.

    Anita H. Patterson [Recused]

    Professor of English, Boston University