Only in Boston by Duncan J.D. Smith

9 Introduction Introduction “Boston … is often called the ‘hub of the world’, since it has been the source and fountain of the ideas that have reared and made America.” Rev. F. BarhamZincke, LastWinter in the United States , 1868 Boston, state capital of Massachusetts, is America’s oldest major city. It was founded in 1630, where the Charles River meets the Atlantic, by Puritan colonists from England. Visitors today are fascinated by the city’s modest Colonial-era remains, which coexist harmoniously along- side its towering modern skyscrapers. That is only a part of the Boston story though. Inevitably the colo- nists morphed into patriots keen to sever ties with their mercantile- minded British overseers. Accordingly Boston played a crucial part in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the ousting of the Redcoats here in 1776 enabling the country to begin its journey to independence. Since then Boston’s fortunes have waxed and waned. Seafaring brought boom times, recession prompted home-grown manufacturing, and by 1820 the close proximity of Harvard University placed Boston at the forefront of American intellectual life. As the ‘Athens of America’, the city spawned Transcendentalism and the abolitionist movement. The Great Fire of 1872 necessitated the redevelopment of the city’s commercial heart reasserting Boston’s allure for waves of immigrants: Irish, Jews, Italians, and Chinese. Together with African-Americans, they’ve added distinction and diversity to Boston’s 23 neighbourhoods. More recently, massive civic projects such as the Big Dig, Waterfront re- newal, and the facelift of world-class cultural institutions have resulted in a city trading as much on present-day energy as historic charm. This book is for both the carefree stroller and the determined city explorer. Armed with a decent street map readers can quickly get off the beaten track and under the city’s skin. This is the Boston of Colonial- era relics and heritage trails, industrial remains and ethnic enclaves, hallowed universities and contemporary art spaces. The locations de- scribed represent the author’s own odysseys – from Charlestown down to South Boston and from Cambridge across to East Boston. The story begins on the north bank of the Charles River in Charles- town, which was only annexed by Boston in 1874. Remains of the first settlers, together with the once-mighty shipyard that followed in their wake, are highlights here. Locations in neighbouring but little-visited East Boston include memorials recalling the September 11 Attacks. Across the water is the North End, at the tip of the original Shaw- mut Peninsula and once cut off from the rest of Boston by a tidal creek.