Robert Allison, Suffolk University History Department Professor and Chair, answers the question, “How did the Old North Church become Old North?” Christ Church was built in 1723 when there already was an “Old North,” the venerable Puritan Meeting House over which the Mathers presided. How did the upstart Anglican congregation become the Old North of Boston legend? This talk focuses on Old North’s place in Boston history and myth.
Robert J. Allison is Professor and Chair of the History Department at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. He also teaches at the Harvard Extension School and in 1997 received the Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award. He is the author of The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World 1776-1815; Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero 1779-1820; A Short History of Boston; and The Boston Massacre. His most recent work is The American Revolution: A Concise History. Allison is the president of the South Boston Historical Society, a Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and vice president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
This lecture is part of the Old North Foundation Speaker Series. Find out about upcoming events at OldNorth.com.
