North Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
North Street in the North End of Boston
, Massachusetts
extends from Congress Street to Commercial Street. It runs past Dock Square
, Faneuil Hall
, Quincy Market
, the Rose Kennedy Greenway
, and North Square
. It was first named in 1852, and consists of segments of streets formerly named Ann, Fish, Ship, Drawbridge, and Conduit Streets.
where brothel
s, inns, "jilt shops", and tavern
s could be segregated from the rest of the city. Over half of Boston's brothels were located there. The establishments in the area relied heavily on custom from sailors, who had weighed anchor at Dock Square
nearby, and working men, who used the taverns as meeting places in the winter. The area was one of the few places in Boston where African American
s and whites intermingled.
Ann Street was the main thoroughfare through the neighborhood. It ran from Faneuil Market
, spanned an old drawbridge, and led into the rest of the Boston's North End, terminating at the wharves. On 4 December 1834, Ann Street was widened to connect Merchant's Row
and Blackstone Street. The area lay about ten minutes by foot from Boston's banking and commercial center.
The Ann Street area was occasionally subject to police raids, generally superficial affairs that left the brothels alone. By 1851, however, Ann Street had reached the height of its notoriety; police who patrolled the area (now known as the "Black Sea") estimated that it was home to 227 brothels, 26 gambling dens, and 1,500 establishments that sold liquor. The Boston government responded by organizing a raid. The first, on 8 March 1851, nabbed 86 gamblers. A second on 14 March took many more. Officer Edward H. Savage described the final phase of this Great Descent: "On the eve of the 23rd of April, this year, we made the great Police descent in Ann Street, capturing some one hundred and sixty bipeds, who were punished for piping, fiddling, dancing, drinking, and attending crimes." This raid involved some 50 officers (the whole day force's contingent) and 50 night officers. In all, 60 men, including 35 brothel keepers, and 95 women, mostly prostitutes, were arrested.
At the behest of residents eager to improve the area's image, Boston rechristened Ann Street "North Street" in 1852. The change made little difference. In 1866, some Protestant missionaries described the area as "squealing of fiddles" and the "disorderly shuffle of many feet", populated by criminals of every kind. In 1896, Benjamin Orange Flower described a similar scene in his book Civilization's Inferno. Over time, the area did improve, but this was more likely the result of economic and community changes.
Today's North Street is part of a rejuvenated North End
and all of Boston's red-light district is limited to a few bookstores and two strip clubs on Kneeland Street, part of the now defunct "Combat Zone"
.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
extends from Congress Street to Commercial Street. It runs past Dock Square
Dock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)
Dock Square in Boston, Massachusetts is a public square adjacent to Faneuil Hall, bounded by Congress Street, North Street, and Union Street. Its name derives from its original location at the waterfront. From the 1630s through the early 19th-century, it served boats in the Boston Harbor as "the...
, Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
, Quincy Market
Quincy Market
Quincy Market is a historic building near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It was constructed 1824–1826 and named in honor of Mayor Josiah Quincy, who organized its construction without any tax or debt.-History:...
, the Rose Kennedy Greenway
Rose Kennedy Greenway
The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a roughly 1.5-mile-long long series of parks and public spaces being created in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is the final part of the Big Dig that put Interstate 93 underground and removed the elevated freeway that served as the main highway through downtown...
, and North Square
North Square (Boston, Massachusetts)
North Square in the North End, Boston of Boston, Massachusetts sits at the intersection of Moon, Prince, North, Garden Court, and Sun Court Streets. Paul Revere lived here, as did other notables in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prior to July 4, 1788, the area was known as Clark's Square.-History:In...
. It was first named in 1852, and consists of segments of streets formerly named Ann, Fish, Ship, Drawbridge, and Conduit Streets.
Ann Street in the 19th century
Ann Street, also known as the "Black Sea", was an infamous neighborhood in the 19th century. The main street and its side alleys formed a red-light districtRed-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
where brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s, inns, "jilt shops", and tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s could be segregated from the rest of the city. Over half of Boston's brothels were located there. The establishments in the area relied heavily on custom from sailors, who had weighed anchor at Dock Square
Dock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)
Dock Square in Boston, Massachusetts is a public square adjacent to Faneuil Hall, bounded by Congress Street, North Street, and Union Street. Its name derives from its original location at the waterfront. From the 1630s through the early 19th-century, it served boats in the Boston Harbor as "the...
nearby, and working men, who used the taverns as meeting places in the winter. The area was one of the few places in Boston where African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s and whites intermingled.
Ann Street was the main thoroughfare through the neighborhood. It ran from Faneuil Market
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
, spanned an old drawbridge, and led into the rest of the Boston's North End, terminating at the wharves. On 4 December 1834, Ann Street was widened to connect Merchant's Row
Merchants Row (Boston)
Merchants Row in Boston, Massachusetts is a short street extending from State Street to Faneuil Hall Square in the Financial District. Since the 17th century it has been a place of commercial activity. It sits close to Long Wharf and Dock Square, hubs of shipping and trade through the 19th century...
and Blackstone Street. The area lay about ten minutes by foot from Boston's banking and commercial center.
The Ann Street area was occasionally subject to police raids, generally superficial affairs that left the brothels alone. By 1851, however, Ann Street had reached the height of its notoriety; police who patrolled the area (now known as the "Black Sea") estimated that it was home to 227 brothels, 26 gambling dens, and 1,500 establishments that sold liquor. The Boston government responded by organizing a raid. The first, on 8 March 1851, nabbed 86 gamblers. A second on 14 March took many more. Officer Edward H. Savage described the final phase of this Great Descent: "On the eve of the 23rd of April, this year, we made the great Police descent in Ann Street, capturing some one hundred and sixty bipeds, who were punished for piping, fiddling, dancing, drinking, and attending crimes." This raid involved some 50 officers (the whole day force's contingent) and 50 night officers. In all, 60 men, including 35 brothel keepers, and 95 women, mostly prostitutes, were arrested.
At the behest of residents eager to improve the area's image, Boston rechristened Ann Street "North Street" in 1852. The change made little difference. In 1866, some Protestant missionaries described the area as "squealing of fiddles" and the "disorderly shuffle of many feet", populated by criminals of every kind. In 1896, Benjamin Orange Flower described a similar scene in his book Civilization's Inferno. Over time, the area did improve, but this was more likely the result of economic and community changes.
Today's North Street is part of a rejuvenated North End
North End, Boston, Massachusetts
The North End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small , the neighborhood has approximately 100 eating establishments, and a variety of...
and all of Boston's red-light district is limited to a few bookstores and two strip clubs on Kneeland Street, part of the now defunct "Combat Zone"
Combat Zone (Boston)
The "Combat Zone", in Boston, Massachusetts, was the name given to the adult entertainment district in downtown centered on Washington Street between Boylston Street and Kneeland Street. It extended up Stuart Street to Park Square...
.
See also
- Dock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)Dock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)Dock Square in Boston, Massachusetts is a public square adjacent to Faneuil Hall, bounded by Congress Street, North Street, and Union Street. Its name derives from its original location at the waterfront. From the 1630s through the early 19th-century, it served boats in the Boston Harbor as "the...
- Market Museum (Boston)Market Museum (Boston)The Market Museum was established in 1804 by Philip Woods in Market Square, Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Faneuil Hall. Also called the Boston Museum, it featured displays of "wax figures, pictures, natural and fanciful curiosities -- such as have not been exhibited in this town before" and...
- North Square (Boston, Massachusetts)North Square (Boston, Massachusetts)North Square in the North End, Boston of Boston, Massachusetts sits at the intersection of Moon, Prince, North, Garden Court, and Sun Court Streets. Paul Revere lived here, as did other notables in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prior to July 4, 1788, the area was known as Clark's Square.-History:In...
- Old Feather StoreOld Feather StoreThe Old Feather Store was a shop located at Dock Square and North Street in Boston, Massachusetts in the 17th-19th centuries. It was also called the Old Cocked Hat. Built in 1680 by Thomas Stanbury, it was demolished in 1860.-Brief history:...
Further reading
- Bergen, Philip. Old Boston in Early Photographs, 1850-1918: 174 Prints from the Collection of the Boston Society. Dover Publications.
- Duis, Perry R. (1999). The Saloon: Public Drinking in Chicago and Boston, 1880-1920. University of Illinois Press.
- Hobson, Barbara Meil (1987). Uneasy Virtue: The Politics of Prostitution and the American Reform Tradition. Chicago University Press.
- Savage, Edward H. (1865). A Chronological History of the Boston Watch and Police, from 1631 to 1865: Together with Recollections of a Boston Police Officer, or Boston by Daylight and Gaslight.: From the Diary of an Officer Fifteen Years in the Service. Boston.
External links
- Bostonian Society has materials related to the street.
- Google news archive. Articles related to North Street
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/mit-libraries/3423279419/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/krobb/3537151666/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigharmon/3023067772/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzari/179287240/