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By: Katie Dulleakellegrew
Boston, Massachusetts is a city notarized for its historical sites and prominent standing in the development of the United States of America. In this city, as in many cities across the country, individual neighborhoods have developed each with its own unique culture and past. However, just because the citizens of any given neighborhood live with history does not mean they fully know what that history is.
April 20th, 2009 was a cool day and although the Boston Marathon was still in the process of finishing, residents of the South End were busy making their way through the streets. It was on the sidewalk of Tremont Street that a spot was deemed good enough for interviews. Through speaking with residents of the South End, I hoped to learn more about the historical aspects of the neighborhood and locate any landmarks or statues that could provide us with more information. Questions in hand and camera rolling, I embarked upon my quest and returned with a very different notion of the neighborhood than I had left with.
Surprisingly, although I managed to get four people to stop for interviews (and three to agree to be filmed), none of them could tell me a specific location that held historical significance. Every person stopped admitted that the history of the South End was important and that it was significant in Boston’s development, but none could cite information beyond that. What was even more surprising was that when I sat down to gather information on the internet (in the belief that the people I interviewed simply did not care to investigate where they lived); the web could not provide me with much information either.
As it turns out, the South End is a historical Boston neighborhood not because important movements occurred there or statues and monuments call the area home. Instead, what the South End is known for is simply having a historical atmosphere. Waves of differing cultures have made residence in the area over the years and because of this the district was dubbed historical.
With the exception of the Harriet Tubman Museum, the neighborhood (which is one of the largest in the country covering 500 acres) is known primarily for its Victorian houses and parks such as Chester Square, Union Park, and Worcester Square. (http://www.southendhistoricalsociety.org/ )
The South End was once what made up the neck of Boston into Roxbury. This was fact until the 1840s when the mansions and swamp land were replaced by Charles Bulfinch’s plan to develop the land into a series of “Bay-Window” Townhouses, small gardens, and parks with a preference for a fountain at the center of it. Bulfinch’s designs attracted upper-middle and upper class families until 1870 during which time the neighborhood was abandoned because of the financial crisis of the time. (http://www.south-end-boston.com/)
The area remained in disarray until the 1940s when the homosexual community began to flock to the area. In the 1960s the South End was renovated yet again in an effort to drive down the crime rate in the area. (http://www.aviewoncities.com/boston/southend.htm ) Since this time, the South End has become an area known for upper-class living and fine dining (all of which were mentioned in the interviews provided by South End residents). The variety of these restaurants help to both build character in the neighborhood as well as support the diversity that the area has become known for.
Examples of restaurants include:
South End Pizza and Grill
772 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116
South End Food Emporium
469 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02116
South End Formaggio
268 Shawmut Ave
Boston, MA 01228
Addis Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant
544 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116
While the Harriet Tubman Museum can be found in the neighborhood, what makes it historical is the diversity it is known for. The residents enjoy an antiquarian architectural environment to live in that has been shaped by the historical architecture and restaurants that have come to nest there.
*Other sources consulted:
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