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

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Two men covering their faces with a hat and hand against the camera as they are escorted out of a courthouse.
Two men covering faces with hat and hand with others, most likely related to Elmer "Trigger" Burke case, June 18, 1954 (Brearley Collection at the Boston Public Library).

On View: June 3 – June 14, 2026

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.