Preservation Campaign For Medford's Royall House Raises $38K+

MEDFORD, MA — A fundraising campaign to repair damages at the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford has raised more than $38,000. During routine maintenance at the site, the building's sill – which supports its weight on its brick foundation – was found to have deteriorated drastically, and additional water damage was discovered during a later inspection. The preservation work was estimated at $20,000.

The GoFundMe campaign for the museum and historic site raised well over that amount, and contractors have already begun making repairs to the slave quarters. The additional funds will help cover operational costs, invest in technology for additional programming and bolster programs on the impact of slavery today, Executive Director Kyera Singleton said.

"When our GoFundMe campaign began, we were in the midst of what seemed like an impossible situation," Singleton wrote in a statement on Facebook. "We had to figure out how to finance the cost of unexpected and emergency repairs to the Slave Quarters while navigating the financial burden of closing our museum as a result of COVID-19."

The Royall House and Slave Quarters is the only known freestanding quarters where enslaved people lived and worked that remains in the Northern United States. The nonprofit historic site serves as an educational space to dispel the myth that slavery was a "southern problem."

Since 2005, the museum re-imagined its mission to recognize at least 60 Black men, women and children who were enslaved on the property between 1737 and the start of the American Revolution. In addition to educating about the history of slavery, the site seeks to "memorialize the lives of those who were enslaved."