History
Organizational category for all historical articles
Hammatt Billings: Architect and Illustrator of Abolition When he died in 1874 at the age of 56, Hammatt Billings was described as, “one of the best known of his profession in the country.” His name was a “household word where art was appreciated.” He was an architect, illustrator, designer, sculptor, and painter whose illustrations helped…
J.W. Strom and the Bowdoin Square Museum For a brief period of less than three years, J.W. Strom ran the Bowdoin Square Museum from the Parkman Building in Bowdoin Square. More of an enclosed carnival sideshow than our notion of a modern day museum, Strom’s venue offered Bostonians the most sensational entertainment 5 cents could…
The Salem Downtown Renewal Plan: Part 2, Changing Times, Embracing Preservation By the 1970s, opponents of the Salem Redevelopment Authority had made their voices heard. As the national attitude towards urban renewal changed, Salem was an early adopter of a new strategy. Rehabilitation, preservation, and creating a city identity became important pieces of a new,…
The Salem Downtown Renewal Plan: Part 1, A Close Call with Destruction In the 1960s, historic downtown Salem faced the wrecking ball. With changing economic conditions and a belief in demolition before renovation, 82% of downtown was under scrutiny. However, thanks to grassroots activism and a few well placed allies in the public eye, Salem…
Urban Renewal in Easton, PA’s “Syrian Town” The mid-size industrial city of Easton, PA was home to a thriving population of Lebanese-Americans living in a diverse neighborhood. However, city officials deemed their neighborhood a slum and used urban renewal funding to displace thousands of residents. This article tells the story of Easton’s brush with urban…
A Restaurant Tour of the Modern West End The West End of Boston might be smaller than other neighborhoods, but its food culture still packs a punch. Across the present-day and historic areas of the neighborhood, foodies can find fine dining, quick bites, family owned-restaurants, and relics of the old days of the West End.…
Annie Adams Fields and Sarah Orne Jewett: A Boston Marriage on Charles Street Annie Adams Fields (1834 –1915) and Sarah Orne Jewett (1849 – 1909) shared a long and intimate relationship across several decades. Living together on Charles Street in the West End and traveling together to Manchester-By-The-Sea and around the world, the women formed…
Reclaiming History in Three Boston Neighborhoods: Sharing Memories of Chinatown, Little Syria, and New York Streets Reclaiming History: A Journey Through Three Neighborhoods explores the histories and community life of Chinatown, Little Syria, and the New York Streets before urban renewal, and the different fates of each post urban renewal. Window clings, a display case,…
