Boston’s North End History

To get into the tale of Boston’s North End we must begin by rolling back the clock some three hundred years before this area was truly developed. At the time, the North End was actually an island separated from Boston by a canal called the Mill Stream. As Boston began to literally expand its borders via landfill in the 1600 and 1700s, the area became home to many wealthy merchants.

The area was especially popular with a group of loyalists to the King of England called Tories. After the American Revolution, though the area began to fall into disfavor as the Tories were bolting to Canada and other rich merchants were moving to new areas such as Beacon Hill. As the money left, in moving the working class during most of the 19th century, primarily those from the shipping industry due to the area’s proximity to the waterfront. In the 1840s a new group began to make its way and settle in the North End—the Irish.

Many of these immigrants moved between the short period of 1846-1847 during the Great Potato Famine. Over 13,000 people moved in 1847 alone. This was a significant number considering that the total population of the North End was approximately 20,000 in 1850. The Irish remained the dominant ethnicity in the North End until 1880 when another group of immigrants began to take over. The reason for the transition was twofold.

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One, was that the North End Irish population had begun to decrease as they had started to settle in greater numbers in a new area—South Boston. The 2nd reason was the increased influx of another group, the Eastern European Jews (some 6,300 between 1870 and 1920). Many of the Jews settled in the area along Salem Street. While today, many of those traces are gone, replaced by Italian bakeries and such, there is still one gentle reminder on a narrow street called Baldwin Place.

If you make your way down Baldwin and look just above the 3rd floor window on #4, there is a fading Star of David visible on the façade of this former apartment building. The final major ethnicity to settle in the North End was when the Italians first began arriving in the 1860s. These figures began to steadily increase in the 1870s and by the 1920s a new majority had officially been established. And the proud Italian neighborhood we know as the North End has never looked back since as today the North End is known throughout the city as “Boston’s Little Italy.”

• Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_End,_Boston 
• Address: Hanover Street, Boston, MA (Note: Hanover is the main thoroughfare through the North End.) 
• Cost: Free.

Boston's Crimes Haunts - Site of The Boston Massacre

The year was 1770. Tensions amongst British soldiers and colonists had begun to rise due to increasing attempts by the King of England at imposing taxes persists. In an attempt to maintain order, British soldiers were deployed in such large numbers that they weighed one soldier for every man, woman, or child in the colony.

On a wintry evening in March (March 5 to be exact), a British patrolman was on duty near where the current Visitor Center now sits (on the south side of the Old State House). He got into an ill-advised argument with an individual walking by and a fight ensued. The location of this fight and the ensuing events is marked via a ring of cobblestones just outside of the Old State House.

If you are situated on the east side of the Old State House (the side with the balcony), the ring of cobblestones is situated within a small traffic island near the busy intersection. No other marker exists. Now, for complete historical accuracy, this marker should “technically” be in the middle of the intersection, however, I think that the city of Boston likely wished to avoid any further potential Boston Massacres of overly anxious tourists wishing to get a picture of the site.

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As the fighting ensued, onlookers began to jump to the aid of their fellow citizen by throwing ice and snow at the lone British soldier. Seven nearby sentries, hearing cries of help, came to the soldier’s aid and attempted to surround him in protection. In all the commotion, church bells began to go off signaling either “danger” or a “fire.”

Now what triggered the following events is somewhat debated. 

Was it because of the church bells that someone yelled, “Fire?” (Note: In Colonial times church bells were used as a fire alarm.) Or was it the result of an onlooker’s scream after one of the soldier’s weapons accidentally shot into the crowd while getting pushed to the ground? Irregardless, from this split-second event, all the British soldiers began firing in self-defense upon the attacking crowd. In the end, five men died that night. Just twenty-one days after this tragedy, Paul Revere began selling colored prints depicting cold-blooded soldiers lined up in single-file and firing up innocent civilians.

This event more than any other leading up to the American Revolution provided the spark for the birth of our nation. This infamous event is reenacted every year on March 5 on this site.
In a bit of irony after the incident, each of the British soldiers involved were tried over charges of murder. Five of the seven men were acquitted after a successful defense by well-known patriot and future 2nd President of the United States, John Adams.
For more information on the Old State House.

Update: In summer 2011 the city of Boston renovated the locale of the marker for the site of the Boston Massacre. Due to concerns over numerous tourists attempting to take photos of the aforementioned marker that was previously in the middle of a traffic island, the marker was moved to just under the balcony on the east side of the Old State House.

• Website: http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=osh
• Address: 206 Washington Street, Boston, MA. Marker is located on a traffic island on the east side of the Old State House (the side with the balcony).
• Cost: Free to view the marker situated outside of the Old State House. Museum admission is: Adults $7.50; Seniors (62+) / Students $6; Children (Ages 6-18) $3

Old South Meeting House History

The current structure with its 183 foot steeple dates back to 1729, however, was preceded by another meeting house on this site which dated back to 1670. The architectural style of the current structure is Georgian as evident via its high usage of symmetry throughout and the balustrade square tower.

Located on the fourth level of the tower is a black rounded clock which installed within the tower in 1770. That clock is still functional to this day. While multiple famous incidents have occurred at the Old South, including the baptism of Benjamin Franklin who was born not far from here, it is an incident which transpired on December 16, 1773 which will forever immortalize this former meeting house. With the Stamp Act in 1765, the British under King Charles the II, made one of their first attempts at trying to profit from their colonies by mandating a tax on all legal documents.

The British, however, did not anticipate the public outcry and response they would receive and actually rescinded this tax in less than a year. They were however less lenient on a subsequent tea tax. These taxes were collectively implemented in 1767 via the Townsend Acts, named for a British politician Charles Townsend who proposed the act. The Colonists, in turn, were not willing to concede either. On December 16, 1773 approximately 5,000 individuals gathered here (the largest meeting house in the city at the time) to discuss a course of action.

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Having previously agreed on possible “escalations” and upon realization of lacking any more diplomatic alternatives, Samuel Adams stepped to the podium and gave the signal by announcing, “The meeting can do nothing more to save this country.” As the crowd roared their approval a group of men disguised as Mohawk Indians exited the meeting house and made their way down Milk Street towards what was known as Griffin’s Wharf. Docked here were three ships named the Beaver, Dartmouth and Eleanor which were stocked full of 342 chests of imported Behea or a black tea that was imported from the Wuyi Mountains in China.

The value of that tea today would exceed more than $1 million. Obviously this act was more than the British could take and they responded via MORE legislation, this time in the form of the Coercive Acts. This effectively shuts down Boston Harbor. In further backlash, and getting back to our site at hand here, the British seized control of the Old South Meeting House in 1775, ripped it apart and basically turned it into a stable with a pub located on the balcony. The Old South almost was further desecrated in 1872 as part of the Great Fire of Boston before it was fortunately saved via a fire department which came to its rescue via Portsmouth, NH of all places.

After falling into general disarray after many years, the building was actually scheduled for demolition before a last ditch effort was successful in preserving the landmark. In 1877 the Old South finally found itself a more proper use when it was transformed into the museum as it is to this day. The Old South Meeting House is a popular attraction along Boston’s Freedom Trail. In reference to the site of the Boston Tea Party itself, Griffin’s Wharf (to which we have earlier referred) no longer exists and is now the site of the Intercontinental Hotel. Near the site of this hotel, however, is a bridge off of Seaport Boulevard and it is here that beginning in the Spring of 2012 a new museum will open with a replica of one of the ships from this famous incident.

• Website: http://www.osmh.org 
• Address: 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA 
• Cost: To enjoy the wonderful exterior is free. Museum prices are $6 for adults, $5 for senior and students, $1 children ages 6-18