Era
Organizational category for historical articles

City PlanningImmigrant NeighborhoodImmigrationModernUrban Renewal A map showing dots on a map where wealthy people live.

The Development of the Beacon Hill Neighborhood: A Tale of Two Slopes, Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, we saw how Boston’s first European settlers used Beacon Hill and the land around it. They used the summit as a warning beacon, and the surrounding slopes for pastures, grazing, light industry, and limited home building. It explored how a group of opportunistic investors turned the South Slope into the most desirable address for Boston’s elite. Part 2 explores how the two sides of the Hill, divided by class, eventually merged into a single, recognized neighborhood.

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African AmericansCity PlanningNew FieldsYankees & Brahmins A watercolor showing a street with a central brick building with several children running towards it.

The Origins of the Beacon Hill Neighborhood: A Tale of Two Slopes, Part 1

Boston’s highest natural point, Beacon Hill, has long attracted attention and spurred the imagination of locals and visitors alike. The site of the young town’s warning beacon (thus the name), it would become Boston’s most prestigious neighborhood 200 years later. Today Beacon Hill still serves as the site of the Massachusetts government, one of Boston’s most well-heeled addresses, and a magnet for tourists. 

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Art & LiteratureImmigrant NeighborhoodImmigrationSocial & Religious Institutions A poster with a central shield with the title "La Morte Civile" and "Variety".

Theatre, Community, and the Augusta Fraternal Association During the Great Depression

Theatre, Community, and the Augusta Fraternal Association During the Great Depression During the Great Depression, an unusual collaboration between immigrant mutual aid groups, the federal government, and the arts came together on a Boston stage. The Federal Theater Project raised funds for the Augusta Fraternal Association in a one night only performance. Explore this snapshot…

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Immigrant NeighborhoodSchools & Education A group of elementary students wait to enter a school building.

The Peter Faneuil School

Built in 1910 to relieve over-crowding in West End Schools, the Peter Faneuil School would go on to be the final West End School operating after urban renewal destroyed the rest of the neighborhood. It was the first school in Boston to attempt intra-city busing and later hosted an experimental school integration program. 
This is the second in a series on Schools of the Old West End. 

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