Immigrant NeighborhoodSocial & Religious InstitutionsWomen A black and white photo that has been colorized of a woman sitting in the grass in front of a brick building.

Ruth Roman

Ruth Roman (1922-1999) was raised in the West End, her Jewish-Lithuanian family moving from tenement to tenement. Her fledgling interest in acting was nurtured at the Elizabeth Peabody Settlement House in the West End, where Ruth’s flare for the dramatics led to leading roles at its playhouse. While she is today remembered as a Hollywood film star – with standout roles in Lightning Strikes Twice (1951), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951) – the roots of her career can be found in the West End neighborhood.

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Immigrant NeighborhoodLGBTQ+Women In a black and white photo, two women blend into a busy living room filled with a piano, chairs, sculptures, and art hanging on the walls.

Boston Marriages

At the turn of the century, “Boston marriages” enabled women to live independently from men. These relationships were common among educated female employees of settlement houses in Boston and in the greater United States. In the West End, evidence for these relationships can be found among the literary women of the period.

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