Pie Alley (Boston)
Encyclopedia
Pie Alley or Pi Alley in Boston
, Massachusetts
, is located off Washington Street
, near the Old City Hall
on School Street
. The origin of the short street's nickname remains in question. It may be called "Pi Alley" "because of the dumping into it of the pied type
from newspaper composing rooms years ago," or "Pie Alley" "because of restaurants that sold a piece of pie
and a cup of coffee for a nickel." It is also known as Williams Court, Savage's Court, Peck's Arch, and Webster's Arch.
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...
, is located off Washington Street
Washington Street (Boston)
Washington Street is a street originating in downtown Boston, Massachusetts that extends southwestward to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island state line. The majority of it was built as the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike in the early nineteenth century...
, near the Old City Hall
Old City Hall (Boston)
Boston's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1865 to 1969. It was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States and is now one of few remaining...
on School Street
School Street
School Street is a short but significant street in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It is so named for being the site of the first public school in the United States...
. The origin of the short street's nickname remains in question. It may be called "Pi Alley" "because of the dumping into it of the pied type
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
from newspaper composing rooms years ago," or "Pie Alley" "because of restaurants that sold a piece of pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
and a cup of coffee for a nickel." It is also known as Williams Court, Savage's Court, Peck's Arch, and Webster's Arch.
History
Through the years, tenants have included:- The Bell-in-Hand (est. 1795) was "a faithful reproduction of the taverns fashionable in London" in the 18th century.
- Boston HeraldBoston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
- Boston policeBoston Police DepartmentThe Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
(ca.1854), corner of Court Square and Williams Ct. - Private residences in 1832 of a clerk, colorer, cordwainerCordwainerA cordwainer is a shoemaker/cobbler who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England...
, handcartman, housewright, mariner, nurse, truckman, wheelwrightWheelwrightA wheelwright is a person who builds or repairs wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the archaic word "wright", which comes from the Old English word "wryhta", meaning a worker or maker...
, and several laborers, printers, and widows - David Francis (1779-1853), printer, publisher (Munroe & Francis)
- "OakumOakumOakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
pickers tenement" (ca.1711). "In 1711, Oct. 2, a fire commenced in Williams' Court in an oakum pickers tenement, where the woman suffered the fire 'to catch the oakum she was employed in picking of;' all the houses and stores on both sides of Washington St. between School St. and Dock SquareDock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)Dock Square in Boston, Massachusetts is a public square adjacent to Faneuil Hall, bounded by Congress Street, North Street, and Union Street. Its name derives from its original location at the waterfront. From the 1630s through the early 19th-century, it served boats in the Boston Harbor as "the...
were laid in ashes." - Life in Boston, a weekly periodical (ca.1851)
- Samuel SewallSamuel SewallSamuel Sewall was a Massachusetts judge, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay The Selling of Joseph , which criticized slavery.-Biography:...
(ca.1727). "Monday, July 10th, 1727, removed with my family to Boston. Hired a house in Deacon Williams Court next house to Deacon Williams, N. Gates and N. Gleason, bringing my household stuff."
External links
- Google news archive. Articles about Pi Alley; Pie Alley; Williams Court
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweet_dee/4503658859/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdonato/2354504201/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigharmon/4156032353/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigharmon/3022243983/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/prcboston/3903360911/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/rnolan1087/426111377/