A few weeks ago, Anthony Riccio sent me this picture taken in the North End and asked if I could identify the men. Anthony is writing a book about the North End that will be published later this year. The book will consist of pictures and interviews collected by Anthony when he worked at the Read More…
By Jessica Dello Russo By the year 1870, a decade after Garibaldi’s conquest of the Two Sicilies and the year the young nation of Italy was at long last successful in the capture of Rome, several hundred families and individuals formally recognized by the United States as “Italian” could call Boston home. The city had Read More…
Join the Leventhal Map & Education Center and the North End Branch of the Boston Public Library for a virtual exploration of history through maps on Tuesday, December 1st from 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. In the nineteenth century, where was the North End Branch Library? What was at the location where the library now Read More…
By Jessica Dello Russo The North End of Boston is world-famous for historic sites with ties to the American Revolution from North Square to Copp’s Hill. Just outside of this circuit, along the water’s edge, are signs of another upheaval, literally, just that, in the sense of where we find the Boston Harbor shoreline today, Read More…
On April 15, 1920, a double murder set off a sequence of events that led to the controversial, and later declared unjust, trial convictions of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Their execution on August 23, 1927 is blamed on anti-Italian prejudice and fear of their anarchist political beliefs. The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti The Read More…
The Sacco Vanzetti Commemoration Society presents a look at the 1920-1927 case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti on Monday, August 26 at 7 p.m. at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street. These two Italian immigrants were found guilty of robbery and murder and executed in 1927. Fifty years later, it was declared Read More…
North End legend and famous boxer Tony DeMarco, who will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame next year, is famous for defeating Johnny Saxton in 1955 for the world welterweight championship. On the morning of that fateful fight, one local newspaper predicted the outcome. Back on April 1, 1955, The Italian News, a weekly publication Read More…
This old postcard illustrates the newly constructed North Station back in 1928. Although it is not an entirely accurate portrayal of the land out front, the drawing is a nice representation of the building itself at the time. The original station, called North Union Station, was taken down in order to build the new construction shown Read More…
WBUR contributor, Erika Fine, says that a longtime posting, “THE NORTH SQUARE – Where it all began…” on the exterior of Sacred Heart Church in North Square is anti-semitic. She highlights the following historical description of Jews that settled in the North End. [highlight]“Jews were also prominently present, especially around the Salem Street area, providing services and goods Read More…
In the early 20th century, Boston was home to one of the only schools in the country that taught the craft of pottery making. What started as a social service undertaking in the North End by a group called the Saturday Evening Girls, lead to a successful Pottery business in Boston. The Saturday Evening Girls met at Read More…
Imagine being the first bakery located in the North End of Boston? Baker’s Alley is where it all started, before Modern, Mike’s, Parziale’s, Bova’s, and Maria’s. The first bakers in Boston’s North End set up shop here, located across from Quincy Court, off of North Street, just to the right of where Limoncello Restaurant is today. Read More…