Underground Railroad

According to historic reports, the League's headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Maria L. Baldwin (1856-1922)              First League President

One of the most distinguished African-American educators of the late 19th and early 20th century, Maria L. Baldwin taught at the Agassiz School in Cambridge, MA. She later was named headmaster, becoming the first African-American person appointed to this position in the Commonwealth. (The Agassiz School was renamed the Maria Baldwin School.)

Historic support of African-American  women college students

During the 1940s and 1950s, the League housed dozens of African-American women at its headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue while they attended colleges in Boston. These women, including Coretta Scott King, resided at the League because they were not welcome in the segregated dormitories of that time.