The Harriet Tubman House has been an important part of USES’s history for more than a century, even as it has moved locations over the years. In the early 20th Century, responding to the discrimination the community, six black women from Boston opened the Harriet Tubman House at 37 Holyoke Street in the South End. A personal friend of Tubman, Julia O. Henson rented the Tubman House as a place of lodging for black women who had recently migrated from the South.
Later on, the Harriet Tubman House was moved to Mrs. Henson’s own home at 25 Holyoke Street, which she donated to the newly formed organization. There, she and her friends, Cornelia Robinson, Annie W. Young, Fannie R. Contine, Jestina A.Johnson, Sylvia Fern, and Hibernia Waddell, organized a settlement house for the purpose of “assisting working girls in charitable ways.” Harriet Tubman herself was made Honorary President of the Harriet Tubman House, four years before her death in 1913.
In 1975, the Harriet Tubman House moved from Holyoke Street to its current location on Columbus Avenue. This location has served as USES’s headquarters and offered programming for children, adults, and seniors, and has also provided a space for the community to come together.
As we engage in our Strategic Planning process here at USES, we continue to honor that legacy and serve our community in deeper, more impactful ways. With the development of a new Harriet Tubman House on our Rutland Street campus, we are preserving USES’s mission for future generations by increasing our ability to serve more children and families in our community.
We are committed to honoring our history and Harriet Tubman’s legacy of equity and opportunity, and ensuring USES’s financial sustainability for many years to come.
December 13, 2019 | VICTORY for 350 children & their families: The BPDA voted to approve the development of 566 Columbus Ave
December 12, 2019 | BPDA Board Meeting Fact Sheet
December 3, 2019 | Reflecting on my USES Experience: The Importance of Building a Strong Community
November 14, 2019 | Reflection on ‘HARRIET’ by Board Member Gretchen Cook-Anderson
November 18, 2019 | RELEASE: Screening of HARRIET Inspires Local Nonprofit’s Community To Carry Harriet Tubman’s Legacy of Courage and Change into the 21st Century
September 11, 2019 | Statement from United South End Settlements Board of Directors
September 11, 2019 | Diverse Friendships Formed in the South End at United South End Settlements Are Key to a Bright Future
September 7, 2019 | Our Last Financial Lifeline – Save USES Now
August 30, 2019 | USES Staff Share their Stories
August 28, 2019 | Updated Fact Sheet on Sale of 566 Columbus Avenue
July 16, 2019 | New Boston Ventures Fact Sheet
June 10, 2019 | New Boston Ventures 566 Columbus Avenue Proposal
April 10, 2019 | Securing USES’s Future for the Next 100 Years
April 10, 2019 | United South End Settlements Announces Preferred Buyer for 566 Columbus Avenue
February 28, 2019 | Following Up from USES’s Community Meeting
February 25, 2019 | Link to Live Stream of 2/25/19 Community Meeting
February 20, 2019 | USES Welcomes David Lee to Real Estate Committee
February 12, 2019 | Announcing Community Conversations with President & CEO
January 22, 2019 | Call for Offers Date Announced
November 26, 2018 | Request for Proposals (RFP)*
November 26, 2018 | Community Update Flyer
October 15, 2018 | Vision125 Strategic Plan Update
September 25, 2018 | Vision125 Third Community Meeting Announcement
March 30, 2018| An Update on the South End House
October 12, 2017 | September Community Meeting Recap
April 24, 2017 | Unveiling Vision125: An Update from USES
December 8, 2016 | A reNEWed Direction
October 19, 2016 | Transparency During a Time of Change
*This offering memorandum is our request for proposals, a formal proposal submission date will be established in early 2019 and notice will be provided to all interested parties of that date at least two weeks in advance of the deadline. Any interested potential prospects should contact Newmark Grubb Knight Frank: Michael Byrne, mbyrne@nkkf.com or (617) 863-8616 for a property and market tour. If you have questions about USES’s strategic planning process, please email us at vision125@uses.org or call (617) 830-5261.
December 14, 2019 | The Boston Globe | The week in business: Planning agency approves sale of Harriet Tubman House to condo developer
December 13, 2019 | BLDUP | 566 Columbus Ave. Approved by BPDA
December 13, 2019 | Mass Nonprofit News | United South End Settlements Gets OK to Sell Key Asset
December 12, 2019 | The Boston Globe | Sale of Harriet Tubman House approved
December 12, 2019 | WGBH | Path Cleared For Sale Of Historic Building In South End
December 11, 2019 | The Boston Globe | City set to approve controversial sale of Harriet Tubman House to condo developer
December 10, 2019 | The Boston Herald | Sale of Harriet Tubman House would most benefit community
October 20, 2019 | WCVB CityLine | CityLine: Sunday, October 20, 2019: Harriet Tubman House
October 7, 2019 | The Boston Herald | Letter to the Editor: Partnerships Make a Difference
September 24, 2019 | WCVB (ABC Boston) | Some community leaders try to save Harriet Tubman House from development
September 22, 2019 | The Boston Herald | Opinion: Harriet Tubman House sale could save USES
September 19, 2019 | The Bay State Banner | Opinion: Save services for families and jobs for people
September 18, 2019 | Boston Neighborhood Network News | Tubman House Project Defended as Lifeline
September 13, 2019 | The Boston Guardian | USES: Sell Tubman Or Cease to Exist
September 12, 2019 | South End News | Guest Op-Ed: Programs and People Preserve Harriet Tubman’s Legacy, Not a Building
September 12, 2019 | WBZ (CBS Boston) | South End Residents Fight To Save Harriet Tubman House
September 8, 2019 | WGBH | Audio Local News: Elevator Safety, The Harriet Tubman House And A New Life For South End’s Elms
August 22, 2019 | The Boston Sun | Op-Ed: In Supporting United South End Settlements, We’re Honoring Harriet Tubman’s Legacy
August 22, 2019 | The Boston Sun | Emotions Run High at Tubman House Meeting
August 22, 2019 | The Boston Guardian | Drums Drown Out USES Presentation
August 8, 2019 | The Boston Sun | New Boston Ventures Files Plans With BPDA for Tubman House
August 7, 2019 | WGBH | Tubman House Struggle: To Preserve A Building Or An Institution
July 31, 2019 | Universal Hub | South End developer plans condos, some aimed at artists, for current Harriet Tubman site
May 2, 2019 | The Bay State Banner | USES identifies buyer for Tubman House
February 28, 2019 | The Boston Guardian | USES Unveils Its Future
February 27, 2019 | South End News | Harriet Tubman House to be sold
February 26, 2019 | Universal Hub | Harriet Tubman House to be sold, its programs moved to another South End site
January 10, 2019 | Boston Neighborhood Network News | Tubman House Sale Eyed for Aiding Programs
January 4, 2019 | Boston Neighborhood Network News | Tubman House Sale to Aid USES Programs
January 2, 2019 | The Bay State Banner | USES to Sell Off Tubman House
December 6, 2018 | The Boston Sun, Page 9 | USES Releases RFP for Tubman House
November 28, 2018 | South End News | News from…United South End Settlements
August 22, 2018 | Boston Neighborhood Network | A New Approach to Surmounting Poverty
May 2018 | Massachusetts Nonprofit News | Developing a New Vision and Strategic Plan after 125 Years
June 8, 2017 | Boston Neighborhood Network | New Vision for South End Agency
South End House (Headquarters)
36 & 48 Rutland St, Boston MA 02118
617.375.8150