Street History of North End in Boston - Ever find yourself walking a neighborhood, perhaps for the first time or perhaps for the hundredth time, and wondering, “How did this street get its name?” or “”What are the origins of this street?”
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| wikipedia.com |
You Might Read This: Boston’s North End History
- Endicott Street – This street was named on June 13, 1836 for Governor Endicott whom was the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colonies 1629-1665. It is also the site of the worst spelled intersection ever.
- Fulton Street – It’s in an area just off of Fulton Street whereby many of the early Italians who came to Boston first settled upon their arrival in the 1860s. Many of the buildings around here pre-date the Italian arrival by about thirty years, placing them construction sometime around the 1830s. Fulton Street contains Boston’s first cast iron building.
- Hanover Street – Hanover is known as the center of commercial activity in the North End, especially for restaurants. It is said that each restaurant brings with it the local cuisine of a particular area of Italy. It other words you can pick almost any one of them and not go wrong. The street was named in Colonial times in honor of King George the Third’s House of Hanover. The House of Hanover provided six monarchs to the British crown and was followed by the House of Windsor (familiar to most via Princess Diana).
- North Street – North Street was formerly known as “Ann Street.” It had a rather poor reputation based upon the substantial number of ladies of the evening and criminal activity. It even spurred nicknames such as “The Murder District.” A large effort to cleanup the area was eventually successful. In 1851, police arrested 92 women charged with prostitution. In a final attempt to cleanup the area in 1854, the city even changed the name of the street to a simple name without negative connotations, North Street. This street is home to the oldest sign in the city.
- Parmenter Street – In 1708 this street was the toast of the town, quite literally as in May of this year it had been named Beer Lane. When the hangover from that decision had finally subsided, the locals took a number of more attempts at trying to find the right name over the ensuing years. Other names included Bear and Bur Lane, Bridge’s Lane and Richmond Street. The street finally took on its present name on December 31, 1870. Parmenter has a unique library that is worth checking out.
- Parmenter Street / Hanover Street Intersection – O.k., while not a lesson on street names, the street sign at this intersection is a fantastic photo opportunity to subtly remind people in the area that they are in fact in the Little Italy of Boston. Situated atop the sign are the names of various Italian cities and the direction (supposedly) to reach them. While the geography may leave something desired, it does not stop countless tourists from taking in the directions.
INFO
- Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_End,_Boston
- Address: Various Streets (See above), Boston, MA
- Cost: Free
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