Nestled on one of the main veins in the community, Roxbury Presbyterian Church has stood on the corner of Warren and Woodbine Streets since 1865. At the beginning of the 1800’s Roxbury was home almost exclusively to upper and middle-class Yankees. Beginning in the 1840’s many Irish immigrants flooding to the Massachusetts to escape the potato famine. As immigration continued some Irish families settled directly in Roxbury, or second generations families moved from Boston to Mission Hill and later in the Dudley Street area.
German immigrants also settled in the Mission Hill area of Roxbury and were instrumental in developing the many breweries that prospered along the Stony Brook until prohibition. The Germans were also responsible for the establishment of several churches, including Roxbury Presbyterian. As the population of Roxbury continued to evolve, the Black community had begun to grow tremendously by the 1900s. They were joined by immigrants from the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, and Barbados and after World War II by southern blacks migrating north.
By the 1960s and 70s Roxbury was almost entirely black and became the center of grassroots activism and community organizing to achieve justice, equality and power and to halt the forces that were destroying the community. Roxbury Presbyterian Church hosted meetings for the Black Panthers as well as Alcoholics Anonymous, rooting the church in Social Justice work that continues to this day.
Though our community is typically labeled as violent and marginalized, Roxbury is a vibrant, diverse and eclectic group of people with tremendous assets and rich history. Though our challenges of violence and trauma are real, Roxbury Presbyterian Church stands to be a beacon of light and hope in response to the changing needs of our community that we are so proud to call home.
