Cyrus Bustill - Historic Marker

Inscription:

"Born of white, Black, and Native American descent, he bought his freedom and became a baker of bread for Revolutionary troops. A founder of the Free African Society, he later opened a school for Black children while living here."

Erected 1992 by Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

Cyrus Bustill was the father of Grace Douglass and the grandfather of Sarah Mapps Douglass. Grace & Sarah were Black Quakers whose stories can be found in the West Room and East Room exhibits of Arch Street Meeting House.

Cyrus was an important member of the free Black community in Philadelphia during the late 18th century. His descendants worked alongside other free Black people in the 19th century, helping form the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society (PFASS) with Lucretia Mott, Sarah Douglass, and other Quaker women. His legacy continued into the twentieth century through his direct descendant, Paul Robeson, a civil rights activist, musician, and athlete.

Cyrus Bustill donated bread from his bakery to help feed Washington’s troops.