Court Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Court Street is located in the Financial District of Boston
, Massachusetts
. Prior to 1788, it was called Prison Lane (1634–1708) and then Queen Street (1708–1788). In the 19th century it extended beyond its current length, to Bowdoin Square
. In the 1960s most of Court Street was demolished to make way for the construction of Government Center. The remaining street extends a few blocks, near the Old State House
on State Street
.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Prior to 1788, it was called Prison Lane (1634–1708) and then Queen Street (1708–1788). In the 19th century it extended beyond its current length, to Bowdoin Square
Bowdoin Square (Boston)
Bowdoin Square in Boston, Massachusetts was located in the West End. In the 18th-19th centuries it featured residential houses, leafy trees, a church, hotel, theatre and other buildings. Among the notables who have lived in the square: physician Thomas Bulfinch; merchant Kirk Boott; and mayor...
. In the 1960s most of Court Street was demolished to make way for the construction of Government Center. The remaining street extends a few blocks, near the Old State House
Old State House (Boston)
The Old State House is a historic government building located at the intersection of Washington and State Streets in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Built in 1713, it is the oldest surviving public building in Boston, and the seat of the state's legislature until 1798. It is now a history museum...
on State Street
State Street (Boston)
State Street is a major street in the financial district in Boston, Massachusetts and is one of the oldest streets in the city. The street is the site of some historic landmarks. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace can also be found nearby...
.
Tenants of Court St.
Former tenants- American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining KnowledgeAmerican Magazine of Useful and Entertaining KnowledgeThe American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge was a monthly magazine based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established by a group of engravers to "give to the public a work descriptive, not merely of subjects, scenes, places, and persons existing in distant climes, but also of those...
- Ames BuildingAmes BuildingThe Ames Building is a skyscraper located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes ranked as the tallest building in Boston from its completion in 1893 until 1915, when the Custom House Tower was built. However, the building was never the tallest structure in Boston. The steeple of the Church of...
- Annin & SmithAnnin & SmithAnnin & Smith was an engraving firm in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th-century, established by William B. Annin and George Girdler Smith. The firm kept offices on Court Street and Cornhill.-Works with engravings by Annin & Smith:...
, 19th c. engravers - Boston Daily AdvertiserBoston Daily AdvertiserThe Boston Daily Advertiser was the first daily newspaper in Boston, and for many years the only daily paper in Boston.-History:...
- Boston Gaol (Massachusetts)Boston Gaol (Massachusetts)The Boston Gaol was a jail in the center of Boston, Massachusetts, located off Court Street, in the block bounded by School, Washington and Tremont Streets. It was rebuilt several times on the same site, before finally moving to the West End in 1822...
, 1635-1822 - Concert Hall (Boston, Massachusetts)Concert Hall (Boston, Massachusetts)The Concert Hall was a performance and meeting space in Boston, Massachusetts, located at Hanover Street and Queen Street. Meetings, dinners, concerts, and other cultural events took place in the hall.-Architecture:...
- S.H. Gregory & Co.Samuel Hall GregorySamuel Hall Gregory was an interior decorator and wallpaper manufacturer, importer and retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th-century. "He was known for being one of the first 'high society' decorators in America." He worked in Boston with a succession of business partners: C. Dudley...
, wallpaper, 1840s-1870s - Elias Howe CompanyElias Howe CompanyThe Elias Howe Company was a nineteenth and early twentieth century musical firm located in Boston, USA and founded by Elias Howe, Jr....
- Independent ChronicleIndependent Chronicle (Boston, Massachusetts)The Independent Chronicle was a newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts. It originated in 1768 as The Essex Gazette in Salem, and The New-England Chronicle in Cambridge, before settling in 1776 in Boston as The Independent Chronicle. Publishers included Edward E...
- Charles H. KeithCharles H. KeithCharles H. Keith was an American music publisher in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th century. His business was located on Court Street, ca.1840s-1850s. Among the songs published by his firm were "Old Dan Tucker" , "Ole Bull and Old Dan Tucker" , and "Dandy Jim ob Caroline" .-External links:*...
, music & umbrellas, 1840s-1850s - The New-England CourantThe New-England CourantThe New-England Courant is one of the oldest and the first truly independent American newspapers. It was founded in Boston on August 7, 1721 by James Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's older brother. The newspaper participated in several controversies and was suppressed in 1727...
- S.S. PierceS.S. PierceSamuel Stillman Pierce was a grocer in Boston, Massachusetts, who established the S.S. Pierce company in 1831.-Biography:Samuel Stillman Pierce was born in Cedar Grove, Dorchester, in 1807. In 1836, he married Ellen Maria Wallis. They had 8 children. The family lived in the South End and...
, grocer, 19th c. - Henry PrentissHenry PrentissHenry Prentiss manufactured musical instruments, umbrellas and sheet music, which he sold from his shop on Court Street in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th-century.-Further reading:* Mr. Henry Prentiss's Music Store...
, music & umbrellas, 1830s-1850s - New-England Museum (Boston)New-England Museum (Boston)The New-England Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was established at 76 Court Street by Ethan A. Greenwood, Peter B. Bazin, John Dwight and Samuel Jackson. It featured displays of fine art, natural history specimens, wax figures, and other curiosities...
- N.S. SimpkinsNathaniel Stone SimpkinsNathaniel Stone Simpkins was a bookseller, publisher, and legislator in Massachusetts in the 19th century. He ran a bookshop and circulating library in Boston ca.1820-1830. "In 1835 he established the Barnstable Journal [of Barnstable, Massachusetts], and in 1856 he established the Yarmouth...
' bookshop, 1820s - William TudorWilliam TudorWilliam Tudor was a wealthy lawyer and leading citizen of Boston. His eldest son William Tudor became a leading literary figure in Boston...
- Young's Hotel (Boston)Young's Hotel (Boston)Young's Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Court Street in the Financial District, in a building designed by William Washburn. George Young established the business, later taken over by Joseph Reed Whipple and George G. Hall. Guests at Young's included Mark Twain, Elizabeth Cady...
Further reading
- John T. Hassam. No.47 Court Street, Boston. Boston: David Clapp & Son, 1903. ("Reprinted with additions from Notes and Queries of the Boston Transcript of Oct. 25, 1902")