Art & LiteratureCity PlanningNeighborhood LifePolitics & LawUrban RenewalWest BostonYankees & Brahmins Pemberton Square (man with bicycle by tree)

The Hidden History of Pemberton Square

Bostonians familiar with the demolition of the West End may not know how another once-prominent location in the city disappeared from the map. This spot, located on Beacon Hill, was designed for the homes of wealthy Boston families, and was established at about the same time as another famous residential location further down “the Hill.” But, unlike Louisburg Square, which is today synonymous with old Brahmin Boston, Pemberton Square remains largely forgotten, its remnants barely visible.

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Immigrant NeighborhoodSports An ornate yellow ticket listing a $10 price, Sect5ion E, Row H, Seat 14, and a picture of the old Boston Garden

Fight Night: West End Boxers featured on the Old Boston Garden’s opening night

When the gates of the newly-built Boston Garden opened in November of 1928, ticket holders flooded in to witness a world championship match befitting a celebration surrounding the city’s new sports venue. Local boxers from Boston also had the honor of appearing that night, including a teenage amateur champ from the West End named Arthur “Hy” Diamond. Diamond was just one representative of a West End sporting culture whose fame spread far beyond the confines of this small, immigrant neighborhood.

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African AmericansArt & LiteratureNew BostonOtherReports & AnalysisSocial & Religious InstitutionsWomen Five women in white dresses and a man in a suit and wearing glasses

The Reddick Story: The Life of Ruthena Felton King Reddick and Ray Reddick

Raymond Reddick, a lifelong Boston resident who is now 74 years old, has spent decades collecting, documenting, and speaking to different audiences about his extensive African-American family history with deep ties to the historic West End. After his grandmother, Ruthena Felton King Reddick, passed away in 1985, Ray began his ongoing genealogical research, which started with stories from family members and countless boxes of family artifacts in his possession. Ray Reddick approached The West End Museum to collaborate on a project that highlights his nineteenth-century ancestors — West Enders and Black Bostonians — captivating lives. Northeastern University’s Reckonings project has collaborated with Reddick and The West End Museum to produce, after a series of oral history interviews, a two-part, co-created report that spotlights Ray Reddick’s family history.

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