08/27/2026
The birth of the Eliot School came with the rise of compulsory education in New England. Puritan leaders believed that a Christian society’s prosperity required that all citizens be able to read the Bible and laws of the land. In 1647, they decreed that all towns of more than fifty families must hire a schoolmaster.
Initially a tiny school in a community of Christian farmers, the Eliot School grew from humble beginnings to become the local institution it is today. In 1676, a group of Jamaica Plain residents donated land and corn to establish a local school. In 1689, Reverend John Eliot bequeathed a further 75 acres of land to endow a school with the goal, in his own words, “to remove the inconvenience of ignorance.”
A pastor at Roxbury’s First Church for more than sixty years, John Eliot has long been lauded as “Apostle to the Indians.” But today, we recognize that he inflicted great harm on the Indigenous Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Pawtucket communities as a Christian missionary and assimilationist. John Eliot is best known for founding the first “praying towns,” which contributed to the cultural fragmentation of indigenous tribes, initiated by the English colonization of their lands.
We are committed to addressing the injustices of our past by providing creative opportunities for indigenous people and other marginalized communities in Jamaica Plain, the Greater Boston area, and beyond.
Join us for our Nifty 350 Festival on October 3 from 11 AM-3 PM to learn more about our history! Get your tickets here: https://donorbox.org/events/950473
