Alex R. Goldfeld - The North End: A Brief History of Bostons Oldest Neighborhood

1. Charlestown Bridge

2. TD Garden

3. Copps Hill Burial Ground

4. Old North Church

5. The Prado - Paul Revere Mall

6. Pizzeria Regina

7. St. Stephens Church

8. Haymarket MBTA Station

9. North End Branch Library

10. Mikes Pastry

11. Sightseeing Trolley Stop

12. Modern Pastry

13. Paul Revere House

14. Faneuil Hall

15. Christopher Columbus Park

16. New England Aquarium

.. Freedom Trail

Published by The History
Press Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net

Copyright 2009 by Alex R. Goldfeld
All rights reserved

Images are courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.

Cover images:

(front, top) A View of Part of the Town of Boston in New England and Brittish Ships of War Landing

Their Troops, 1768. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Print Department.

(front, bottom) One of the ancient buildings that awaited Irish immigrants, located at the

corner of Lewis and North Streets. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Print Department.

First published 2009
Second printing 2011
e-book edition 2012

ISBN 978.1.61423.285.8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goldfeld, Alex R.
The North End : a brief history of Bostons oldest neighborhood / Alex R.

Goldfeld.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-518-6

1. North End (Boston, Mass.) 2. Boston (Mass.)--History. 3.

Minorities--Massachusetts--Boston--History. I. Title.

F73.68.N65G65 2009

974.461--dc22

2009015380

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To my wife, Mariel

I gratefully thank my wife, Mariel Gonzales, for her unwavering support during the research and writing of this book. She indulged my obsessive interest in Bostons history and did not begrudge the time needed to write about it, despite her simultaneous pregnancy and the birth of our daughter, Risa.

For granting me permission to use their historical treasures, I sincerely thank Emily Piccolo, as well as the very helpful staff members of the following institutions: AP/Wide World Photos; Boston Globe; Boston Public Library; Bostonian Society; Georgetown University Archives; Historic New England; Massachusetts Art Commission; Massachusetts Historical Society; Museum of African American History; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; New York Public Library; Norman B. Leventhal Map Center; Old North Foundation; Vilna Shul; and Woodstock Theological Center Library.

Special acknowledgment is due to those librarians and other keepers of the past who went out of their way to assist and encourage my work. They are Elaine Grublin and Laura Lowell of the Massachusetts Historical Society; Sean P. Casey, Cecile W. Gardner and especially Aaron Schmidt of the Boston Public Library; Pam Bennett and Laura Northridge of the Old North Foundation; Steven Greenberg of the Vilna Shul; Leah Cornwell of Lou Jones Studio; Katy Abel of the Boston Museum; and Arthur Felder III and Mary Luhrs of Corbis. I must also recognize Narine Dadayan, Brian Egan and Yohannes Endalew of the wonderfully hospitable Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge for their help in photographing the old North End rooster.

For their comments and suggestions on the manuscript, I am indebted to Dr. Allan Cameron, Laura Cameron, Michael Chisholm, Priscilla Duffy, Sandi Orenstein, Charles Piccolo, Emily Piccolo, Vickie Stringfellow, Leah Walczak and, of course, Mariel Gonzales. For editing the manuscript, preparing the index and offering expert advice, I heartily thank Julie Bogart. I also owe my gratitude to Dr. Timothy Hacsi of the University of Massachusetts Boston, who never seemed to doubt that I would publish my research on the North End. In addition, I thank Saunders Robinson of The History Press, not only for making this project possible, but for her enthusiastic efforts to make history accessible to the general public.

The sustained interest of so many members of my large family, including my late father, Charles Goldfeld, provided invaluable momentum during my long hours in reading rooms or in front of my computer. I also derived deep encouragement from my friends and neighbors in the North End who freely shared their memories of the neighborhood and trusted me to use them well.

Hurricane Carol assaulted the East Coast of the United States in August 1954 and crossed New England on the last day of the month. With drenching rains and sustained winds of 80 to 100 miles per hour and gusts of 100 to 130 miles per hour, the hurricane caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage and dozens of deaths. Many North Enders today remember seeing the steeple of the Old North Church swaying during the storm on the morning of August 31. Reverend Charles Peck was the vicar of the church at that time, and he also saw the steeple moving back and forth in the terrible winds. It soon became clear that the steeple might actually be knocked down. Two Boston policemen began evacuating residents of Salem Street near the church, especially assisting the elderly.

The police told Reverend Peck and a handful of people gathered inside the church with him to leave, but they refused. Shortly before noon, after the churchand indeed the whole neighborhoodhad endured the bulk of the storm, one final gust snapped the churchs tower. For a moment, the white steeple, with its clock and ancient weather vane, was suspended in the air above Salem Street. Then the steeple came crashing down, and the majority of the impact was absorbed by the building at the corner of Salem and Hull Streets, which is still standing. The wooden steeple was smashed to pieces, and the brick church tower was cracked open. The skies began to clear as the storm moved out of Boston, and the historic steeple was now a pile of broken boards strewn across rooftops, dangling from fire escapes and obstructing the streets in front of the church. The eight massive bells were still hanging in the tower, as they had been since 1745, but they were now exposed to the elements and any passing seagull. A piece of American history was lost. Or was it?

Hurricane Carol tears the Old North Church steeple from its tower on August 31, 1954. Amateur photographer Joseph Spallino, visiting from New York City, captured this image. Courtesy of the Bostonian Society/Old State House, Boston Streets Photograph Collection, circa 18651999, and AP/Wide World Photos.

Old North Church wreckage after Hurricane Carol. Three North Enders appear at the right, including Johnny Shoes Cammarata in the foreground.