Historic Site Events
The Legacy of Phillis Wheatley: From Boston to Albuquerque
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
7:00 – 8:30pm
With Author Dr. Alexandria Russell,
Live on Zoom
Since the late 1800s, African American women have organized to create memorials commemorating Black women across time. As members of clubs, preservation organizations, and other groups, Black women have told their own stories through public history.
During the Jim Crow era, the most memorialized Black woman in America was the writer Phillis Wheatley. Born in West Africa around 1753, Wheatley was kidnapped as a child, sold into slavery, and brought to Boston, where she learned English and became a poet. She is considered the first African American author of a published book of poetry. More than a century after her death, Wheatley’s legacy was kept alive by Black women living across the United States, from Massachusetts to New Mexico.
In this online talk, Dr. Alexandria Russell, the author of Black Women Legacies: Public History Sites Seen & Unseen, will share the major themes of her book and trace the remarkable efforts to memorialize Phillis Wheatley. Facing limited resources and widespread discrimination, Black women operated with resourcefulness and savvy to create public memorials that shaped American culture.
Historic Paint Restoration: Uncovering Hidden Angels
A paint restoration project is currently underway at Old North to remove layers of white overpaint and reveal some of the church’s colonial-era artwork! Expert craftspeople are uncovering angels in the church’s sanctuary that were painted in the late 1720s and 1730s by congregation member John Gibbs. Visitors to Old North will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see long-hidden history being revealed.
Lantern & Luminaries with Ken Burns
On April 16, 2025, we were honored to present the celebrated filmmaker Ken Burns with the Third Lantern Award at Lanterns & Luminaries, our annual celebration of “two if by sea.” The award recognizes those who embody the values of leadership, courage, hope, tenacity, and active citizenship.
This video includes the full program, including remarks by Mr. Burns, Senator Ed Markey, and Governor Maura Healey. Guests at Lanterns & Luminaries enjoyed a sneak peek of Mr. Burns’s new documentary, The American Revolution, which is scheduled to premiere on PBS on November 16, 2025. An abbreviated clip from the documentary is shown in this recording of Lanterns & Luminaries.
Throughout the year, Old North Illuminated hosts authors, professors, and other experts for Speaker Series events. In honor of the 250th anniversary of Old North Church’s famous lantern signal in 2025, this year’s Speaker Series includes talks that focus on revolutions — their origins, their societal transformations, and their complex legacies. We hope you’ll join us.
Our 2025 Speaker Series events are brought to you in part by Hub Town Tours.
