From the beginning, the North End was relatively cut off from the rest of Boston, first by Mill Pond, then by the freeway. Only after the “Big Dig” which moved the freeway underground did the North End really seem inviting to the rest of Boston and tourist alike.
The first residents of the North End were prosperous merchants and tradesmen. The wealthy lived in grand estates and own large pastures. Mill Pond was a prominent feature, and windmills used for grinding grain stood atop Copps Hills. Paul Revere was born in the North End. He was a talented silversmith, copper plate engraver, and a patriot. On the eve of April 18th, 1775, he rode from Lexington and Concord to warn the patriot leaders that the British troops were coming.
After the American Revolution, a large portion of the population left for England and Canada. The wealthy residents of the North End relocated to areas like the West End and Beacon Hill. The shipping industry expanded and more sailors and apprentices of all kinds came to the North End. The population grew rapidly. Buildings were torn down or subdivided and row housing went up. Mill Pond was filled in. The nature of the North End was changing. The criminal element took over. There was gambling and prostitution. Ann Street (now North Street), also known as the “Black Sea”, was packed with brothels and taverns, and was known as the “Murder District."
In the 1800s, African-Americans primarily took up residents in the North End. In the 1900s the population grew and African-Americans began to moved north of Beacon Hill.
During Ireland's Great Potato Famine (1845-1852), the Irish immigrated to America by the thousands. Boston was a popular destination, and immigrants migrated to the waterfronts in Fort Hill and the North End. By the mid-1800s half of the North End population was Irish. Due to anti-Irish sentiment at the time, work was difficult for Irish immigrants to find. The neighborhood was impoverished and disease stricken.
In the 1870s, the Irish began to moved out, and European Jewish people moved in. They settled on and around Salem Street. They were skilled craftsmen, and clothing shops, bakeries, and markets sprouted up. It was soon an active shopping district. In 1892, Solomon and Jennie Rubinowitz (later just Rabb) opened a grocery shop, the "Greenie Store", at 134 Salem Street (now occupied by Bova's Bakery). The store did well and the family opened a chain of groceries, now called Stop & Shop.
In the early 1900s, change came again to the North End as the Jewish residents relocated to West and South Ends. The Italians moved in. Life in the North End was still economically hard.
On January 15, 1919, there was an explosion and 2.3 million gallons of boiling molasses poured through the North End, wreaking destruction. There were 21 causalities and 150 injured. Molasses could be smelled in the North End for years to come.
Today, about 40% of the North End is Italian. The rest of the population is a mix of college students, young professionals, and families. The North End is a tourist magnet with historical sites, excellent Italian restaurants, and the charm of a close-knit neighborhood.
sources:
- http://www.bostonhistory.org/
- http://www.wikipedia.org
- Boston's Tourist Information Center
