Here's a heads up for commuters: August's big Green Line closure began on Saturday. From now through Aug. 16, there will be no train service between North Station and Kenmore (that's all of the underground stops) or from Kenmore to Heath Street (on the E branch), Cleveland Circle (on the C branch) or Babcock Street (on the B branch). Plan accordingly! Now, let's get to the news: Undercover history: What is likely one of the oldest gravestones for a free Black person in the country was rediscovered at Boston's Granary Burying Ground. According to the city's Department of Parks and Recreation last week, historians uncovered the gravestone of Sebastian — a formerly enslaved man — dating back to 1728 or 1729 during an ongoing conservation project. And because few Black people were memorialized before slavery was abolished, "this gravestone is exceedingly rare," Kelly Thomas, who manages the city's historic graveyards, told WBUR's John Bender. - Hidden in plain sight: The nearly 300-year-old gravestone had been covered in soil and was absent from modern surveys of Granary Burying Ground, according to the city . But after Thomas noticed the epitaph, which was simply marked "Boston," she began to look into the person buried beneath it — and found a surprising amount of information. She said "Boston" was likely a nickname for Sebastian, a free man whose life had been detailed in "Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England," by Gloria McCahon Whiting. Sebastian was married, had children and lived to be approximately 70 years old, according to Thomas. She also found a "glowing obituary" for him in a Boston newspaper from 1729. "He's got a full paragraph saying what a wonderful man he was, and how much he'll be missed, and how everybody loved him," Thomas added.
- See it yourself: Now that it's been repaired and restored, Sebastian's epitaph is legible for the first time in decades. It's available for all to view at its original site, GR-A-141, at the Granary Burying Ground. (While you're there, pay your respects to notables like Paul Revere and others who signed the Declaration of Independence.)
Cracking down on crime: Five people are expected to be arraigned today for their participation in what Boston Police are calling an organized shoplifting ring. They were arrested Friday at CVS in Downtown Crossing as part of an effort to address increasing crime in the neighborhood, WBUR's Josie Guarino reports. Downtown residents have been meeting with city leadership in recent weeks to address an uptick of crimes in the area, including shootings, stabbings and a recent murder on Boston Common. - Rishi Shukla, co-founder of Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association, told Josie he's seen more police officers patrolling the area, but wants to see more action. "We have to address some of the underlying challenges, but also do a better job of working with the court system to make sure that repeat offenders are not being let back onto the street the next day," Shukla told Josie. Officials are exploring expanded shelter services at St. Francis House and improved street lighting to deter criminals.
Swinging for the fences: After beating Maine's Little League state champions on Saturday, Bridgewater's Little Leaguers are headed to the semifinals. They'll face off against Vermont at 9 a.m. this morning in Bristol, Connecticut, to decide which team will head to the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Middleboro and Braintree are the only other Little League teams from Massachusetts that have made it to the World Series, in 2022 and 2025, respectively. - Joe Mombleur, the team's coach, says he thinks the team has what it takes to make it all the way. "If we don't move onto Williamsport, I won't be disappointed at all. I'm super proud. I wouldn't trade it for anything and this season will never be a disappointment," Mombleur told WBUR before Saturday's game. "But I do believe we have enough talent to win it."
P.S. — CitySpace's fall schedule has officially landed. We've got book talks, story slams, Curated Cuisine and more on the the calendar — plus appearances from stars like author Elizabeth Acevedo, actor Kyle MacLachlan and James Beard award-winner Joanne Chang. Click here for the full lineup. |
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