North End, Boston, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
The North End is a neighborhood of Boston
, Massachusetts. It has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small (⅓ mi²), the neighborhood has approximately 100 eating establishments, and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known as the city's Little Italy
for its Italian-American population.
preached was dismantled by the British for use as firewood during the Siege of Boston
. Later, the nearby Hutchinson Mansion was attacked by anti-Stamp Act
rioters on the evening of August 26, 1765, forcing then Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson to flee through his garden.
By the late 1840s, living conditions in the crowded North End were among the worst in the city. Successive waves of immigrants came to Boston and settled in the neighborhood, beginning with the Irish and continuing with German and Russian Jews and Italians. The cholera epidemic of 1849 hit the North End most harshly, claiming most of the seven hundred victims.
The Boston Draft Riot of July 14, 1863 began on Prince Street in the North End.
, a used clothing dealer with a shop on Brattle Street, published his Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World in 1829.
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
includes both prominent residents and hundreds of African slaves and freemen of color from the early 19th century.
The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918 hit the crowded North End severely; so many children were orphaned as a result of the pandemic that the city created the Home for Italian Children to care for them.
The following year, in 1919, the Purity Distilling Company’s 2.3 million gallon molasses storage tank exploded, causing the Great Molasses Flood
. A 15 ft wave of molasses flowed down Commercial Street towards the waterfront, sweeping away everything in its path. The wave killed 21 people, injured 150, and caused damage worth $100 million in today's money.
In 1927, the Sacco and Vanzetti
wake was held in undertaker Joseph A. Langone’s Hanover Street
premises. The funeral procession that conveyed Sacco and Vanzetti’s bodies to the Forest Hills Cemetery
began in the North End.
In the 1950s the Central Artery was built to relieve Boston’s traffic congestion. The artery walled off the North End from downtown, isolating the neighborhood. Ultimately, the Central Artery was dismantled as part of the Big Dig
.
Jane Jacobs
, in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities
, used this neighborhood repeatedly as an example of a thriving community, even though the establishment
in Boston at that time considered it a slum. She described the North End in 1959 in this way: "The streets were alive with children playing, people shopping, people strolling, people talking. Had it not been a cold January day, there would surely have been people sitting. The general street atmosphere of buoyancy, friendliness, and good health was so infectious that I began asking directions of people just for the fun of getting in on some talk".
To fully understand the sheer size of the Italian immigrant population, one must look back at the groups that preceded them. The Irish, at their peak, numbered roughly 14,000 and the Jews numbered 17,000. The Italians, however, peaked at over 44,000.
architecture is especially prominent). The neighborhood has a mixture of architecture from all periods of American history, including early structures such as the Old North Church
(1723), the Paul Revere House
(1680), the Pierce-Hichborn House
(1711), and the Clough House (1712).
The historic Copp's Hill
is the site of Copp's Hill Burying ground, one of America's oldest cemeteries. The cemetery contains many graves dating back to the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries including Puritan
divines Cotton
and Increase Mather
and Prince Hall
, founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry
. The Skinny House
, the narrowest house in Boston, is across the street.
The famous Great Brink's Robbery took place in the North End. The Brink's Building in which the robbery took place still stands as the North End Parking Garage, at the corners of Prince St., Hull St., and Commercial St..
The Freedom Trail
passes through the North End, making official stops at some of the sites mentioned above.
operates the John Eliot Elementary School in the North End.
St. Johns School is a private Catholic school that serves the area.
The North End is also home to the North Bennet Street School, a trade and craftmanship school that was founded in 1885.
operates the North End Branch Library. The branch was established in 1913 and moved to its present location in 1963.
Orange
and Green Line
at both Haymarket
and North Station, by the Blue Line
at Aquarium Station
, and by the 4, 89/93, 92
, 93
, 111
, 117, 191, 192, 193, 325, 326, 352, 354, 355, 424, 426, 426/455, and 428 bus lines. It is also accessible by ferry
at Rowes Wharf
.
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. It has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small (⅓ mi²), the neighborhood has approximately 100 eating establishments, and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known as the city's Little Italy
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.-Canada:*Little Italy, Edmonton, in Alberta*Little Italy, Montreal, in Quebec...
for its Italian-American population.
Revolution
In the early stages of the Revolution, the church at which Increase MatherIncrease Mather
Increase Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
preached was dismantled by the British for use as firewood during the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
. Later, the nearby Hutchinson Mansion was attacked by anti-Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
rioters on the evening of August 26, 1765, forcing then Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson to flee through his garden.
19th Century
Boston prospered in the early 19th Century, and newly wealthy merchants started to move out of the North and the South Ends. They relocated to newer, fashionable neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, leaving behind the longshoremen and dockworkers as well as the boarding houses and taverns. After the massive Irish immigration between 1845-1853, the North End was predominantly Irish (the city’s overall population was also affected, going from a predominantly Yankee-Protestant city to being one-third Irish in just a few years).By the late 1840s, living conditions in the crowded North End were among the worst in the city. Successive waves of immigrants came to Boston and settled in the neighborhood, beginning with the Irish and continuing with German and Russian Jews and Italians. The cholera epidemic of 1849 hit the North End most harshly, claiming most of the seven hundred victims.
The Boston Draft Riot of July 14, 1863 began on Prince Street in the North End.
African American Community
In the 19th Century a small community of African Americans lived on Beacon Hill’s north slope and in the North End. David WalkerDavid Walker (abolitionist)
David Walker was an outspoken African American activist who demanded the immediate end of slavery in the new nation...
, a used clothing dealer with a shop on Brattle Street, published his Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World in 1829.
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground is a historic cemetery in Boston. It was originally named "North Burying Ground".-History:The cemetery was founded on February 20, 1659, when the town bought land on Copp's Hill from John Baker and Daniel Turell to start the "North Burying Ground"...
includes both prominent residents and hundreds of African slaves and freemen of color from the early 19th century.
20th Century
In the early 20th century, the North End was dominated by Jewish and Italian immigrants. On Prince Street, three Italian immigrants founded the Prince Macaroni Company, one example of the successful businesses created in this community.The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918 hit the crowded North End severely; so many children were orphaned as a result of the pandemic that the city created the Home for Italian Children to care for them.
The following year, in 1919, the Purity Distilling Company’s 2.3 million gallon molasses storage tank exploded, causing the Great Molasses Flood
Boston molasses disaster
The Boston Molasses Disaster, also known as the Great Molasses Flood and the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. A large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the...
. A 15 ft wave of molasses flowed down Commercial Street towards the waterfront, sweeping away everything in its path. The wave killed 21 people, injured 150, and caused damage worth $100 million in today's money.
In 1927, the Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
wake was held in undertaker Joseph A. Langone’s Hanover Street
Hanover Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Hanover Street is located in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to 1708, part of the street was called Orange Tree Lane. In 1824, North Street and the former Middle Street became part of Hanover...
premises. The funeral procession that conveyed Sacco and Vanzetti’s bodies to the Forest Hills Cemetery
Forest Hills Cemetery
Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was designed in 1848.-Overview:...
began in the North End.
In the 1950s the Central Artery was built to relieve Boston’s traffic congestion. The artery walled off the North End from downtown, isolating the neighborhood. Ultimately, the Central Artery was dismantled as part of the Big Dig
Big Dig
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project , known unofficially as the Big Dig and as the Big Dug since completion, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery , the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile tunnel...
.
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
, in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, is a greatly influential book on the subject of urban planning in the 20th century...
, used this neighborhood repeatedly as an example of a thriving community, even though the establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
in Boston at that time considered it a slum. She described the North End in 1959 in this way: "The streets were alive with children playing, people shopping, people strolling, people talking. Had it not been a cold January day, there would surely have been people sitting. The general street atmosphere of buoyancy, friendliness, and good health was so infectious that I began asking directions of people just for the fun of getting in on some talk".
Demographics
The North End houses much of the city's Italian-American population. As a result, the North End is enriched with Italian restaurants and ethnic specialty stores. The influx of Italian inhabitants has left a lasting mark on the area; many seminal Italian American institutions have called Boston's North End their home. Some multi-national Italian products companies that began in the North End include Prince Pasta and the Pastene Corporation. Prince Pasta was begun by three Sicilian immigrants: Gaetano LaMarco, Giuseppe Seminara, and Michele Cantella. Pastene was formed by Sicilian immigrant Luigi Pastene. Both companies have grown into million dollar a year businesses, and continue to succeed to this day.To fully understand the sheer size of the Italian immigrant population, one must look back at the groups that preceded them. The Irish, at their peak, numbered roughly 14,000 and the Jews numbered 17,000. The Italians, however, peaked at over 44,000.
Historic Architecture
Although the North End is part of Boston's original area of settlement, the bulk of the architecture one sees there today dates from the late nineteenth to early 20th centuries (tenementTenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
architecture is especially prominent). The neighborhood has a mixture of architecture from all periods of American history, including early structures such as the Old North Church
Old North Church
Old North Church , at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent...
(1723), the Paul Revere House
Paul Revere House
The Paul Revere House is the colonial home of American patriot Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution. It is located at 19 North Square, Boston, Massachusetts, in the city's North End, and is now operated as a nonprofit museum by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. A small...
(1680), the Pierce-Hichborn House
Pierce-Hichborn House
The Pierce-Hichborn House is an early Georgian house located at 19 North Square, Boston, Massachusetts. It is immediately adjacent to the Paul Revere House and is now operated as a nonprofit museum by the Paul Revere Memorial Association...
(1711), and the Clough House (1712).
The historic Copp's Hill
Copp's Hill
Copp's Hill is an elevation in the historic North End of Boston, Massachusetts. It is bordered by Hull Street, Charter Street and Snow Hill Street. The hill takes its name from William Copp, a shoemaker who once owned the land...
is the site of Copp's Hill Burying ground, one of America's oldest cemeteries. The cemetery contains many graves dating back to the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries including Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
divines Cotton
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
and Increase Mather
Increase Mather
Increase Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
and Prince Hall
Prince Hall
Prince Hall , was a tireless abolitionist and a leader of the free black community in Boston. Hall tried to gain New England’s enslaved and free blacks a place in some of the most crucial spheres of society, Freemasonry, education and the military...
, founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry
Prince Hall Freemasonry
Prince Hall Freemasonry derives from historical events which led to a tradition of separate predominantly African-American Freemasonry in North America...
. The Skinny House
Skinny House
The Skinny House at 44 Hull Street in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, is an extremely narrow four-story house reported by the Boston Globe as having the "uncontested distinction of being the narrowest house in Boston." According to the executive director of the Boston Landmarks...
, the narrowest house in Boston, is across the street.
The famous Great Brink's Robbery took place in the North End. The Brink's Building in which the robbery took place still stands as the North End Parking Garage, at the corners of Prince St., Hull St., and Commercial St..
The Freedom Trail
Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a red path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that leads to 16 significant historic sites. It is a 2.5-mile walk from Boston Common to Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Simple ground markers explaining events, graveyards, notable churches and other buildings, and a...
passes through the North End, making official stops at some of the sites mentioned above.
Primary and secondary schools
The Boston Public School systemBoston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Leadership:The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the Boston School Committee, a seven-member school board appointed by the Mayor after approval by a nominating committee of specified...
operates the John Eliot Elementary School in the North End.
St. Johns School is a private Catholic school that serves the area.
The North End is also home to the North Bennet Street School, a trade and craftmanship school that was founded in 1885.
Public libraries
The Boston Public LibraryBoston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
operates the North End Branch Library. The branch was established in 1913 and moved to its present location in 1963.
Transportation
The North End is accessible via mass transit, including the MBTA'sMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
Orange
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
and Green Line
Green Line (MBTA)
The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...
at both Haymarket
Haymarket (MBTA station)
Haymarket is a MBTA station on the Green and Orange lines, located at the corner of Congress and New Sudbury Street. Transfer between the Green and Orange Lines is possible here, although the adjacent North Station may be more convenient for some cross-platform transfers.Originally, the Orange...
and North Station, by the Blue Line
Blue Line (MBTA)
The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority serving Downtown, East Boston and the North Shore. It runs from northeast to southwest, extending from Wonderland station in Revere, Massachusetts to Bowdoin station near Beacon Hill in Boston...
at Aquarium Station
Aquarium (MBTA station)
Aquarium Station of the MBTA, is a station on the Blue Line, serving the New England Aquarium and Boston's Financial District. The station has high vaulted ceilings similar to stations of the Paris and Washington Metros. Above ground, the exits are located in the Financial District at Atlantic...
, and by the 4, 89/93, 92
92
Year 92 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Saturninus...
, 93
93
Year 93 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Priscinus...
, 111
111
Year 111 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Piso and Bolanus...
, 117, 191, 192, 193, 325, 326, 352, 354, 355, 424, 426, 426/455, and 428 bus lines. It is also accessible by ferry
MBTA boat
The MBTA Boat system is a public boat service providing water transport in the Greater Boston area via Boston Harbor. Both inner harbor and longer distance commuter ferries are operated...
at Rowes Wharf
Rowes Wharf
The current incarnation of Rowes Wharf is a modern development in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is best known for the Boston Harbor Hotel's multi-story arch over the wide public plaza between Atlantic Avenue and the Boston Harbor waterfront...
.
Notable residents
- John F. FitzgeraldJohn F. FitzgeraldJohn Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was an Irish-American politician and the maternal grandfather of three prominent United States politicians—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Senators Robert Francis Kennedy and Edward Moore Kennedy.-Early life and family:Fitzgerald was born in...
, politician and grandfather to President John Fitzgerald KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. - Thomas Hutchinson, governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay shortly before the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. - Rose Kennedy, philanthropist and mother to President John Fitzgerald KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. - Increase MatherIncrease MatherIncrease Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
, President of Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. - Charles PonziCharles PonziCarlo Pietro Giovanni Guglielmo Tebaldo Ponzi, , commonly known as Charles Ponzi, was a businessman and con artist in the U.S. and Canada. Born in Italy, he became known as a swindler in North America for his money making scheme. His aliases include Charles Ponei, Charles P. Bianchi, Carl and Carlo...
, creator of the Ponzi schemePonzi schemeA Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
. - Paul ReverePaul ReverePaul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
, 18th-century American activist and artisan. - David WalkerDavid Walker (abolitionist)David Walker was an outspoken African American activist who demanded the immediate end of slavery in the new nation...
, African-American activist active in the 19th century.
External links
- NorthEndWaterfront.com, "a non-commercial community website" edited by Matt Conti
- Boston Pictorial Archive. Boston Public Library. Images of the North End, Boston
- North End Boston
- History of the North End
- Oral history project about North End