Boston Women
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Books About Boston History
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The good city : writers explore 21st century Boston by
The Good City presents a vivid new profile of Boston through the work of fifteen of the city's finest writers. Robert Campbell and Jane Holtz Kay on Boston's embrace of lively urban density James Miller on the city's intellectual history Jack Beatty on Boston's colorful political past and present Patricia Powell on the literary landscape and the immigrant experience Susan Orlean on the city she left and now loves John Hanson Mitchell on how nature revives the metropolis Anita Diamant on Boston as a spiritual home Scott Kirsner on Boston as a powerhouse of scientific and technological innovation Alan Chong on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the arts in Boston Lynda Morgenroth on the city's neighborhoods Michael Patrick MacDonald on gentrification and what it means to old neighborhoods like Southie Derrick Jackson on Boston as a laboratory for advancing race relations Howard Bryant on the city's obsession with sports Irene Smalls on seeing the city through the eyes of a child.
Location: Mugar Library Stacks F73.35 .G66 2004
A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts by
History is right under our feet; we just need to dig a little to find it. Though not the most popular construction project, Boston’s Big Dig has contributed more to our understanding and appreciation of the city’s archaeological history than any other recent event. Joseph M. Bagley, city archaeologist of Boston, uncovers a fascinating hodgepodge of history—from ancient fishing grounds to Jazz Age red-light districts—that will surprise and delight even longtime residents. Each artifact is shown in full color and accompanied by description of the item’s significance to its site location and the larger history of the city. From cannonballs to drinking cups and from ancient spears to chinaware, A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts offers a unique and accessible introduction to Boston’s history and physical culture while revealing the ways objects can offer a tantalizing entr�e into our past. Packed with vivid descriptions and art, this lively history of Boston will appeal to all manner of readers, locals and visitors alike.
Location: Stone Science Library Stacks F73.39 .B34 2016 print & online
African Americans and Boston
- Black Boston Series, Boston University Boston University Initiative on Cities, Boston University Diversity & Inclusion, and WBUR CitySpace
- Boston Athenaeum Directory of African Americans in Boston 1820-1865 The Boston Athenæum has assembled a list of names, addresses and occupations for approximately 5800 African Americans who lived in Boston during the period from 1820 to 1863, the time at which the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. This list is the culmination of three years of painstaking research that was begun as an effort to create a list of black voters for display at the State House.
- Race, Place, & Space Series, Boston University "co-hosted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC), the BU Arts Initiative, and BU Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), that focuses on the ways in which racial and ethnic groups access, inhabit, occupy, shape, and are memorialized in urban contexts—as well as the ways their contemporary and historical contributions have been made invisible, disregarded, or denigrated."
Banned in Boston: Censorship
Historic Preservation
- Boston Landmarks Commission The Boston Landmarks Commission functions as the City’s steward of historic buildings, places, and neighborhoods.
- City of Boston Historic District Commissions The Historic District Commissions review proposed exterior design changes to properties located within the boundaries of each of the City’s nine Historic Districts to ensure that the unique historic and architectural character of these neighborhoods is protected and preserved.
- City of Boston Department of Archaeology Manages the City of Boston’s growing archaeological collections, strives to make the city’s archaeology publicly accessible, and works to protect and preserve Boston’s archaeological heritage.”
- Boston Preservation Alliance The mission of this nonprofit organization is to protect and improve “the quality of Boston’s distinct architectural heritage. Through advocacy and education, we bring people and organizations together to influence the future of Boston’s historic buildings, landscapes and communities.”
- Historic Boston Incorporated “a non profit organization that works with local partners to identify and invest in the redevelopment of historically significant buildings and cultural resources in order to catalyze neighborhood renewal.”
- Historic New England This organization was formerly SPNEA, Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. It describes itself as “a museum of cultural history that collects and preserves buildings, landscapes, and objects dating from the seventeenth century to the present and uses them to keep history alive and to help people develop a deeper understanding and enjoyment of New England life and appreciation for its preservation.” Its photographic and print collections include many views of Boston buildings and street scenes.
- Boston Modern: The Spirit of Reinvention National Trust for Historic Preservation booklet with remarkable photographs of modern buildings including Boston University School of Law Tower, Boston; Sert, Jackson & Gourley, 1961, and some spectacular aerial views of the city.
- Boston Society of Architects Many of its members are part of an advocacy group “on matters relating to legislative and regulatory advocacy:”
- Boston Main Streets Program “Boston Main Streets is devoted to the continued revitalization of Boston’s neighborhood commercial districts through design, technical, and financial support. Today, the nationally recognized program boasts 19 districts across Boston.”
- Boston SAND: Seaport Alliance for Neighborhood Design This organization is “is a community group in the historic Fort Point District of South Boston, voicing a public vision for the long-term planning of Fort Point and the greater South Boston Waterfront as a mixed-use, urban neighborhood with a distinctive character and sense of place.”
- Boston Street Railway Association (BSRA) “The Boston Street Railway Association is a non-profit, 501(c)-3 educational organization, dedicated to exploring the history of all forms of public transportation in the greater Boston area, and preserving present-day activities for future generations. Our central objectives—history, preservation, and publications—are achieved through monthly meetings; a streetcar restoration program; a bi-monthly transit news magazine; a series of respected publications; and more. ”
- Esplanade Association “Working to restore and enhance the historic Charles River Esplanade.”
- Luna Preservation Society “…a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the tugboat Luna, a National Historic Landmark moored in Boston, MA.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation Chartered by Congress in 1949, the National Trust for Historic Preservation… take[s] “direct, on-the-ground action when historic buildings and sites are threatened…and advocate[s] with governments to save America’s heritage. We strive to create a cultural legacy that is as diverse as the nation itself so that all of us can take pride in our part of the American story.” Each year since 1987 it has published a list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
- Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) was established by the legislature in 1963 to identify, evaluate, and protect important historical and archaeological assets of the Commonwealth.
Boston History on the Web
- Boston Athenaeum Directory of African Americans in Boston, 1820-1865 The Boston Athenæum has assembled a list of names, addresses and occupations for approximately 5800 African Americans who lived in Boston during the period from 1820 to 1863, the time at which the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. This list is the culmination of three years of painstaking research that was begun as an effort to create a list of black voters for display at the State House.
- The Bostonian Society (now part of Revolutionary Spaces) "The Bostonian Society is dedicated to explaining, studying, and preserving Boston’s uniquely important history, embodied in materials, records, and structures such as the Old State House, and in sharing an understanding of the revolutionary ideas born here."
- The Boston Smallpox Epidemic, 1721 Harvard University Libraries Open Collections Program
Videos
- Boston Herald/Boston History Project with Boston Historian Anthony Sammarco Back Bay Common Combat Zone Beacon Hill Forgotten New York Streets North End Stories Behind the Massachuetts State House China Town Copley Square Haymarket Square Sullivan Square/Charlestown City Hall and Scollay Square Additional locations with Boston Historian Jim Vrabel
Librarian
Book
African Americans in Boston: More Than 350 Years by Publication Date: 1991