Book Talk & signing: Charles Street Jail by Joseph McMaster: An infamous History Revealed Through Vintage Images

Boston, MA—On January 20 at 6:30 p.m., The West End Museum will host an evening with Joseph McMaster, author of Charles Street Jail, the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular “Images of America” series. McMaster will lead a discussion as well as read from and sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-­‐register here.

Told in pictures, Charles Street Jail features 200 stunning vintage images that reveal the institution’s infamous history. Always a paragon of architecture, the facility has been transformed into the luxurious and vibrant Liberty Hotel, which opened in 2007. It supplanted the Leverett Street Jail (1822-­‐1851) and was replaced by the Nashua Street Jail (1990-­‐present). McMaster is donating his proceeds from the book to The West End Museum.

“I hope readers will appreciate the building’s rich and complex past,” said McMaster. “Long underappreciated, the Charles Street Jail was a fascinating crossroads of all kind of colorful characters and ideas of local and national importance. Just as the building has undergone a stunning historic preservation, I hope this book will help preserve some of the images and tales of this institution.”

In nearly 150 years of continuous use, the Charles Street Jail in Boston’s West End had its share of notorious inmates, including Whitey Bulger, Malcolm X, Sacco and Venzetti, a captured German U-­‐boat captain and then future Boston Mayor James Michael Curley. Over the course of its history, the Jail morphed from a model of humanitarian prisoner treatment to a corrupt and dreadfully overcrowded facility. In fact, a landmark 1973 court decision deemed conditions so bad that they violated inmates’ constitutional rights.

Joseph McMaster is an award-­‐winning journalist and documentary filmmaker who has lived in the Boston area for more than 25 years. For Charles Street Jail, he drew from a large variety of sources, including the vast photograph collection of the Boston Public Library.

About the West End Museum:
The West End Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of the West End  neighborhood. The Museum’s permanent exhibit, “The Last Tenement,” highlights the immigrant history of the neighborhood through its decimation under Urban Renewal in 1959; two additional galleries feature rotating exhibits. The Museum is located  near North Station at 150 Staniford St. Suite 7. Hours: Tuesday – Friday 12:00pm – 5:00pm; Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Admission is free.