Name: Wild Times in the West End: Exhibit Opening and Talk
Start: 2026-06-03T14:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-03T15:30:00-04:00
Location: The West End Museum

ABOUT

The West End Museum tells the story of Boston’s West End neighborhood - collecting, preserving, and sharing the history and culture of the 'Greatest Neighborhood This Side of Heaven'.

LEARN MORE

HISTORY

Explore the story of a dynamic urban neighborhood — the origin of abolition, a major transportation hub, Boston’s most diverse neighborhood, and the nation’s greatest tragedy of urban renewal.

LEARN MORE

VISIT

Come by the WEM to say hello and dive into West End history! We open tomorrow at 10.30am.

LEARN MORE

PROGRAMS

We offer a wide variety of programs from talks to musical performances. Check out what’s coming up at the museum.

LEARN MORE

SUPPORT

Your support insures that the legacy of the West End neighborhood can be shared in Boston and beyond for many years to come.

LEARN MORE

EXHIBITS

Our exhibits explore the wide range of history in the West End from its origins to the present day. Check out what’s live, or look through a past exhibit, here.

LEARN MORE

Donate

Visit

Become a Member

03Jun

Wild Times in the West End: Exhibit Opening and TalkSOLD OUT

The West End Museum

04Jun

Rebuilding Shattered Worlds: Book Talk and Panel

The West End Museum

11Jun

Don’t Talk About Joe Mac with Author Springs Toledo

The West End Museum

No event found!

On View at the Museum

Two men covering their faces with a hat and hand against the camera as they are escorted out of a courthouse.

Wild Times in the West End: Secret Speakeasies, Liquor Raids, and Gangland Warfare

There are quite a few stories of mischief, murder, and mayhem that once rocked the West End’s streets. Learn about the gambling bookies on the corners of Causeway Street, the perpetrators of the legendary Brinks robbery who almost got away with it, and why exactly the Last Tenement made it to the present. The crimes of the West End’s past were varied and villainous. Join guest-curator Emily Sweeney of the Boston Globe as The West End Museum brings criminal headlines to life.

Special Exhibit

June 14, 2026

A map showing 2 overlapping shorelines of Boston to illustrate the massive landfill projects between 1800 and 1900

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End

Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End The West End Museum’s permanent exhibit, Rise, Fall, Rebirth: Stories of the West End, explores 400 years of history and urban development in the City of Boston through the use of interactive digital media, film, artifacts, and archival material. We want you to feel the West End…

Permanent Exhibit

Always Up

VOLUNTEER

BECOME A MEMBER

Explore a West End Story

Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life Politics & Law

Behind Closed Doors: Illegal Gambling at 11 Irving Street

Behind Closed Doors: Illegal Gambling at 11 Irving Street In August of 1949, Boston Police raided an apartment at 11 Irving Street. Inside they found evidence of illegal gambling connected to a nationwide baseball betting racket. This raid and the coverage it received in the Boston Globe offers a glimpse into how illegal enterprises existed…