Location
508 E Julia Davis Drive Boise, ID 83702
43° 36' 27.5364'' N 116° 12' 5.5224'' W
Historical Significance
Elvina Moulton left Missouri a slave, arrived in Boise a free person, and as recorded history says the first Black person in the city of Boise. Elvina was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1837, and later walked the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Idaho, arriving in Boise sometime before 1867. She worked for a laundry as a seamstress and housekeeper, saving up enough money to buy her own home near 10th and Idaho streets. She later moved to a different home on South 4th Street in what is now downtown Boise. She also helped found the First Presbyterian Church in Boise in 1878. She never married or had any children, but was known throughout the community members as a kind woman who baked cookies for local children. She passed in Feb 1917.
Historical Designation
National Register of Historic Places
Promotional Materials
Marker Details
Placed by the Pioneer Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution on April 27, 2019.
Daughters of Pioneer Chapter NSDAR own and maintain the marker dedicated to the memory of Elvina Moulton.
Marker Wording
Elvina Moulton
September 1837 - February 5, 1917
Elvina Moulton has a special place in Boise's history as its only documented African-American woman pioneer. Born into slavery, she walked the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Boise, settling here sometime before 1867. Miss Moulton worked for a laundry, as a seamstress and housekeeper, saving enough funds to purchase her own home near 10th and Idaho. She later moved to a home on South 4th Street.
On February 24, 1878, eighteen Boiseans, including Miss Moulton, organized the First Presbyterian Church. She was the only Black member among the group, which included fourteen prominent women. She never married or had any children. Community members knew her as a kind woman who baked cookies for the local children.
Miss Moulton died at her home on South 4th Street. Keenly aware of the era in which she lived and valuing her independence, Elvina’s will directed that her funeral expenses, including the purchase of a marker, should be paid from her estate.
The simple stone she requested marks her grave at Morris Hill Cemetery to this day.
Presented by Pioneer Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution – 2019
