Hidden History of Boston

Description

Quirky and little-known true stories of one of America's most historic cities. Boston may play a big role in American history textbooks, but it also has quite a bit of forgotten past. For example, during the colonial era, riotous mobs celebrated their hatred of the pope in an annual celebration called Pope's Night. In 1659, Christmas was made illegal, a ban by the Puritans that remained in effect for twenty-two years. William Monroe Trotter published the Boston Guardian, an independent African American newspaper, and was a beacon of civil rights activism at the turn of the century. And in more recent times, a centuries-long turf war played out on the streets of quiet Chinatown, ending in the massacre of five men in a back alley in 1991. Author and historian Dina Vargo shines a light into the cobwebbed corners of Boston's hidden history in this riveting read, complete with illustrations.;Intro; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction. Europe and America: A Century of International Architecture in Boston; Geometry and Nature; Tracing Historical Precedent; Saving Significant Places; Suggestions to the Reader: Sight and Sites; 1. America: From Swamp to City Square; The River Before the Square; Building Early Boston; Copley in the Colony; Copley in the Academy; Art Square to Copley Square; 2. America to Europe: Americans Discover Antiquity; The Grand Tour: Boston to London to Paris to Rome to Boston.